Stranger
by Simple Greed
Summary: Imagine the Apocalypse didn't start from a virus, but something more sinister. Follow the stranger as she arrives in our world in hopes of setting straight a mistake that seems to haunt her to her very core.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Atlanta

**I didn't know if I wanted to write this. I've had this idea for a while, but I don't have anyone to read it. I'll post it here and see if someone likes it, if people are interested I'll write more, if not than that's ok too.**

**Here it is: the start of Stranger.**

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I awoke face down in a dark room. The cold of night seeped in through the closed black curtains hanging from the broken window. Every part of me was burning from a fight that still was fresh in my mind, with a man I won't soon forget.

"Johara", my mind said with a hiss.

Bringing my hands to the side of my torso, I lifted myself up slowly. My body was telling me to lie back down on the cool hard wood flooring where I had awoken, but my mind was telling me to continue on, I guess this was really a mind over matter sort of situation. I needed to find Johara, the man who put me here. As my body lurched into a sitting position I felt a searing pain in my side. Looking down, I could make out the large liaison that was cut into my flesh. The blood was trying in vain to clot so the wound would at least stop bleeding.

"Fuck..." I muttered to myself, since at that very moment I noticed I was naked. Searching the room with my eyes I noticed that the place was abandoned. Most of the room was ransacked and everything valuable was taken. This must have happened before I came, not that I cared in the least. Placing my hand on my wound I tenderly got to my feet, stumbling a bit I placed my hand on the bed to steady myself. Wincing I stood at my full height, the cool air washed over me from the window, making my body shiver and my wound ache.

"Gotta find something" I thought to myself. I made my way over to the sturdy solid oak of the closet door; I pulled on the golden knob. To my dismay the fucking thing was locked. Growling deep in my throat I pulled hard on the knob, forcing it from its place with a violent jerk bringing the whole door with it. I looked at the door in my hand and sighed, I tossed it behind me muttering something like "I don't know my own strength" as a sudden smell of death intruded into my nostrils. I've smelled this before, the smell of decay. I moved the clothing to the side, and as I figured, the clothing revealed the body of a young man lying on his side in a twisted sort of fetal position. Any other person would have been upset at the sight of this body, to me this was a minor setback. I grabbed the black dress from the hanger and slipped it on, it was snug but a small rip on the side of the skirt made it manageable.

Turning back into the quiet empty room, I searched for my weapon. The only friend I've ever truly had. I caught the glimpse of my sword's sheath, it was laying beside the pool of blood on the floor, I sighed in relief.

"So it did come with me after all." I mused inside my head. I walked slowly towards it, feeling this sort of guilt building up in the pit of my stomach. I paid it no mind knowing in a matter of time the dreading guilt will be replaced with an unwavering desire of revenge. I kneeled to pick up the sword from its resting place and ignored the pain shooting through my side. The wound itself will heal in time, and I wasn't trained to go limp over such a small wound. The sound of clothing moving turned my attention back to the small of the closet. The man had attempted to stand but was caught in the clothing. His decaying arms outstretched at me, his fingers spreading out in vain trying to grasp at something but all he was getting was clothing. The clacking of teeth echoed in the dark room.

"...no" I uttered. I began to stand slowly as he managed to free himself from the clothing with a desperate jerk of his arm, he stumbled from the closet with clumsy feet, although his wobble was too much and he fell to the floor in a sickening thump. A wail of frustration escaped his rotten lips, once again reaching out to me with a thin frail arm and a greedy hand. I couldn't believe my eyes, even though this wasn't the first corpse I've seen; it was the first I've seen in this world. I didn't think Johara would have unleashed his power on this world. I had failed once again.

"Forgive me" I whispered onto deaf ears. I pulled my sword from its sheath and walked towards the man. He grabbed my ankle with his boney fingers and pulled himself towards my foot with a hunger that was insatiable. His mouth opened revealing broken teeth and dry tongue, his only goal now was to taste the wetness of my blood. I dropped the sword from my hand, it landed on the back of his neck severing the head. The body went limp as the head rolled under the bed, the clacking of teeth was still heard. I didn't connect with the head like I hoped.

"...damnit", I groaned walking towards the bed, grabbing the box spring I hoisted it into the air. I could see the milky whites of the head searching for me, when he saw me standing above him he clacked his teeth at me. This time I brought my sword down connecting with the brain. Blood poured out of the head wound as well as the nose. Pulling the sword out and dropping the bed I made my way towards the door to the room, it was open slightly indicating that the door was closed in a hurry and in that hurry the door failed to clasp shut. I swung the door open with my sword and looked down the darkened hallway. The pictures of the family littered the floor, the looters must have knocked them when they were fleeing.

"Typical humans" I stepped over the broken glass of the picture frames. I noticed I wasn't wearing any shoes, and I didn't really care. Shoes to me were simply a formality to me, and I fight better without those weighing me down. I kept my ears perked for any signs of life in the house. I suppose life would be an insensitive word to use in a situation as complex and unique as this. These creatures were devoid of any sense of the word, their only option now is to gorge themselves with whatever they can get a hold of, and I wasn't going to be on that menu. Walking by the last door on the second story I couldn't help but notice a room that wasn't ransacked. Curiously I peered in; the room was a collection of travel souvenirs from around their world. On the wall was a perfectly framed black kimono, Chinese dragons surrounded the black fabric with elegance and grace. Seeing it as going to waste here, I smashed the glass with the end of my sword sheath. I pulled out the kimono and looked it over, to my surprise it was a dense and thick cloth rather than silk; perfect for the outdoors on cold nights. Slipped it on over my black dress I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The black dress flattered my toned body and accented my curvy body well, much to my chagrin. The long silver hair I've prided myself in was tangled and covered in blood. At this point I was unsure if the blood was mine or someone else's, of course when I thought about blood my wound began to throb.

"Johara will pay..." I seethed grabbing my sheath and tying it around my waist. If I was going after Johara, I needed to first catch my bearings. I might not know this world, but I can't at least read a map. I clenched the banister tightly, taking my time walking down the stairs. I just came to realize how sore I actually was. I had no time for human emotions; I had a mission to accomplish. The front door was locked and boarded up, which was a smart thing to do considering the dead were walking around. Too bad the people who owned the home didn't think about their windows. The living room curtains fluttered in the morning breeze, the glass from the large bay window lay in pieces on the blood smeared floor. The feet of a child poked out from behind the couch, the pool of blood stretched beyond the tiny feet. I decided not to investigate, seeing a child in this state might,

"_Mommy"_

"Damnit" I cursed opening the door and stepping out into the dampness of the morning. I was clearly in a richer part of town. Each house looked the same as the next, some doors were wide open while others showed signs of forced entry. I didn't hear any screaming, crying or even wails of the undead. The sound of silence filled my ears. I was unsure of how to proceed, and was unsure of which way was out. Knowing Johara he would be enjoying the carnage and bloodshed, so I began to follow what I had hoped to be his bread crumbs, but in reality they were bodies of people and the fires of destruction.

Hours passed of me walking what seemed like forever when I noticed a big blue sign that read "Atlanta" with the population scratched out, I started to get excited. Perhaps he was here, living in a new empire he had built for himself. The sidewalk I had been following was a dead end a few miles back, so I opted to take the road. On one side of the road it was clear, minus some initial debris. On the other, were horseless chariots in a long line leading out of the city. These must have been the survivors who tried to flee the city during the first stages. I noticed many dead people still trapped in their cars. I shook my head; these people were careless and deserved nothing less than death.

I entered the city of Atlanta. I could see 4 of the metal of horseless chariots crunched together in what seemed like an accident, the fire was long put out but the pile of twisted metal blocked my path. The roof might seem like a better option for the time being, at least there I could get a bird's eye view of the city, and avoid potential scuffles in the process. I looked the building closest to me, wasn't that high but it was a start. I lowered myself into a crouching position, judging the distance between me and the roof. I leaped from the ground onto the roof, and landed with the grace of a bird. Gunshots broke the silence in the ghost town.

"Survivors?" I murmured to myself, wasn't my concern anyways. I had to find my objective. Another gunshot rang out making my head turn towards the sound.

"It's not far" my inner voice echoed. I shook my head, it's not my damn concern! Another gunshot; swearing in my head I walked along the roofs until I managed to see the cause of the gun shots. A lone man running from the horde he had so unfortunately stumbled into. This still wasn't my concern but I decided to watch and see what will happen. I lost sight of the man as he crawled under a large armoured chariot.

"This is your duty... to protect the innocent" my inner voice echoed out again. I cursed the fact that I took that oath, but this wasn't my world, and I have no duties here. Although my excellent hearing could hear the man yelling, struggling against the dead that were surrounding the armoured chariot in a dense massive clump.

"... blast me for a fool!' I growled jumping down from the roof. I unsheathed my sword as I landed. The dead closest to me turned towards the new sound and shambled towards me with outstretched arms. I ran towards them, knowing they didn't have the ability to dodge or fight back I quickly dispatched them with a quick slice to their heads.

"YOU! Come on!" I yelled over the grunts and wails of the undead. The horde turned to me and let out a collective moan, signalling their next meal was in view. I dealt with the ones closest to me without problems, and I continued my deadly dance without even breaking a sweat. I guess one that I missed stood up behind me. She fell forward after slipping on blood and went for my neck. A shot rang out killing the one behind me. The man from before had fired it from on top of the armoured mass. He landed beside me and grabbed my arm, we both broke into a run and turned down an alley way. An Asian man wearing a ball cap met us there, the gun wielding man held his weapon to the Asian's head.

"Not dead, not dead!" the Asian said in his defense, 'follow me" he took off down the alley followed by the man I just rescued. The moans were getting louder so I opted to follow the men rather than face them in a tiny space. We managed to climb up the metal ladder towards the roof. I could have easily jumped to the roof to save time, but I was unsure who people of this world might react to something like that, so I decided to play human for a bit. Both were hunched over, hands on their knees, panting to catch their breath and sweating when they got to the top of the ladder, I on the other hand was bone dry and perfectly fine. The man I had saved looked at me, his blue eyes had nothing but thanks and appreciation.

"You saved me back there" he said standing up straight, he offered his hand, "Rick Grimes, Sheriff's Deputy" I looked at the hand offered to me. It's not that I didn't want to shake it, I just didn't want to get attached. I simply nodded at him instead.

"Nice clothes your wearing, surprising you didn't get torn apart out there" the Asian man joked, "But you handled yourself nicely with that sword, its better than using a gun" his eyes shifted over to Rick, "I'm Glenn by the way"

"Where's your group" I asked. Glenn went quiet and Rick looked me over with suspicion. I knew they suspected me of something, but I wanted nothing more than to get them to where they needed to go and head out. They will simply slow me down.

"They're held up in the store there, come on" Glenn started as he began walking off. Rick followed and I took up the rear. These men were too trusting in my opinion, seeing how I handled myself in the horde would somehow have them second guess me. Nevertheless they were leading me towards their group. A shot echoed as Glenn cursed,

"Damnit, Merle!" he took off into a run. Rick shot me a look and hurried after Glenn. Sheathing my sword I calmly followed, knowing whoever this Merle is, he didn't sound like much of a threat, just an idiot.

"Woo! Looky 'ere! Little chinky got's some balls!" Merle laughed waving the gun in Glenn's face, "you want mah gun, take it than!"

"Stop it Merle, you'll bring the walkers here and..." Glenn was cut off when Merle grabbed the back of Glenn's head and leaned in real close.

"We gotta stop fearin 'em and start killing 'em" Merle whispered into the frightened Glenn's ear. Rick took this opportunity to cease the gun and handcuff Merle to the pipe. Merle struggled for a bit before giving up, he laid against the pipe in defeat. He then got a glimpse of me.

"Hey 'ere pretty lady, wanna...give Merle a quick show?" this man simply disgusted me. I paid the simpleton no mind and walked down the stairs I saw Glenn and Rick descend and join the rest of the group downstairs. I noticed Rick having a heated discussion with the blonde woman near the counter, the black man stood near Glenn and looked very worried at the two new visitors that were standing before them. I crossed my arms and watched the interaction unfold.

"We don't have enough food to be bringing new people into the group Glenn!" the blonde shouted at Glenn.

"Andrea, he would have died!" Glenn protested, "and we saved her too" he motioned towards me.

"Saved would be an understatement" I said, "Hindering me would be more of an appropriate statement"

"If we're hindering you, than leave!" Andrea shouted. I tapped on the glass that the store had all along the front,

"I'd keep your voice down, glass won't hold these creatures, and I assume you don't have enough hand to hand experience or bullets to take care of the horde searching for the next meal" Andrea clammed right up and pulled her lips back into her mouth. Rick began asking Glenn for a way out of this building.

"There's an escape route down below, I use it sometimes but I had to take the back way since I had more people to take with me this time" Glenn explained.

"Then you and T-Dog go under and find us a way out" Rick said, "otherwise we'll find a way out from up here" Glenn nodded at the plan and walked off with the black man I assumed was T-Dog. Rick walked up to me and stood beside me,

"Thanks again for rescuing me, I don't know how else I would have gotten out of there"

"It's nothing" I shrugged

"It is to me, I have a wife and son I'm looking for" Rick pulls out a picture, a smiling family in a time much simpler than this. He asked me if I had seen them which I replied no, in fact Rick was the first alive person I've seen since coming here.

"It would be nice to know the name of my saviour" Rick stated rather frankly. I looked at him, his eyes never faltered; I could tell this man was destined for great things, but it would be up to him how he chooses to do them. I guess it wouldn't matter if my name was shared, after I got these people back to their group I would be out of here. I would be nothing more than a campfire legend, which is just what I wanted to be.

"Maionis" I answered, Rick gave me a raised eyebrow look

"Just call me Mai" I offered knowing people would get suspicious of my foreign name. Rick simply nodded as we heard Glenn and T-Dog return from their trek under the city.

"No good, walkers down below" T-Dog said with a huff. Clearly these people are not in shape to be running for long periods of time, so my suggestion of making a break for it was out of the question. Rick suggested driving out, and Glenn pointed out the construction site at the end of the road, and offered to get the cube van. Rick didn't want anyone splitting up and suggested another way. After much discussion, the cube van was the best option. I was confused as to why they called it a cube van, it still seemed like a horseless chariot to me.

"But the walkers outside will kill us all" Andrea pointed out, "We can't make it pass them"

"If we cover ourselves in guts of a walker, we might make it through" Rick suggested. The whole group was brought back by his suggestion, but I thought he was brilliant. Walkers wouldn't smell the stench of the living, only the stench of the dead. Before long Rick and Glenn were covered in the guts of the walker they brought in from outside. The aroma of death swept through the lobby of the store, Andrea began to throw up in the corner. My sensitive nose curled but I was use to this smell, I've been on battlefields with thousands of dead fouling up the air.

"Here we go" Glenn whined as Andrea opened the door. Rick and Glenn walked out onto the street as Andrea closed the door.

"I better go upstairs and get Merle ready to go" T-Dog said out loud to no one in particular, "Do you have the keys?" Andrea handed T-Dog the keys as T-Dog walked up the stairs to the roof. I didn't want to stand idle so I walked around the store looking at all the merchandise displayed on the counters and walls. Seems Atlanta wasn't looted as much as the richer part of the city was. I could see Andrea eying me up as I walked around.

"Why are you dressed like that?" she asked. I looked towards her; sure I was wearing a kimono and a dress, but I had to go with what was there right?

"It was there" I answered bluntly, I really didn't feel like having a conversation with someone who just previously told me to leave. Telling by the look on her face this wasn't something that is going to be dropped so easily.

"A dress I could see, a kimono might seem a bit excessive... a jacket would have been something a bit more suitable" Andrea sneered, obviously disliking my wardrobe.

"I survived didn't I?" I retorted, seeing as I was still standing regardless of what I picked.

"But for how long? A kimono isn't something everyone chooses to take with them when packing up to leave a home" Andrea addressed this fact as if I should have known this. Sighing loudly, I began to dislike this woman strongly.

"This was the closest thing to my uniform back home" I explained in a rather disturbed tone. Andrea cocked an eyebrow and looked at me,

"What, you're from Japan?" She asked crossing her arms. Before I had a chance to say anything my ears caught the sound of screeching tires and T-Dog running down the stairs,

"They're here!" he yelled running towards the back doors. Andrea yelled after him,

"Where's Merle?" T-Dog looked at her with panic in his eyes,

"I dropped the keys, I..."

"You what!?" Andrea screeched, as the sound of shattering glass shut everyone up. The walkers fell through the glass like undead ooze, falling to the floor in a sticky pile of blood and bodily fluids. Wasting no time I pushed the two arguing people towards the door and opened the shutter with ease. Rick had the back shutter open to the cube van, he was holding his arms out and yelling at us to get into the back of the van. Andrea went first, followed by T-Dog.

"Where's Merle?" Rick asked me.

"Upstairs" I answered.

"I dropped the keys!" T-Dog confessed again, "but...I locked the door!"

"We have to..." Rick started.

"There's no time! Rick let's go!" Andrea yelled getting her weapon ready to fire. Rick looked at me with hope flooding his eyes, begging me to save Merle like I saved him.

"...go on without me" I said knowing I'll kick myself for this later.

"Wait...Mai you can't!" Rick argued with a sudden change of heart. The back door broke down as the walkers stumbled through. One heading the pack was a big woman with an ugly flowered sun dress, her nose was fallen right off, and her intestines were hanging to her knees. I had no room to pull out my sword and use it, the blade would other hit Rick who had gotten out of the van and was now standing beside me, weapon pointed at the woman. Or it would hit the low ceiling of the concrete room. I had no choice. As the woman got within arm's distance I pushed Rick back and stood in front of him. I lifted my right hand quickly so it was level with the woman's head, my black nails grew out with a force that punctured the woman's skull. She fell limp instantly and fell to the ground in a heap, my nails retracted as I readied for the next one. I glimpsed Rick beside me, his mouth agape in shock,

"What...the hell are you?"


	2. Chapter 2: Regret

**Here's the second chapter. It was a long one to write since I was writing in between work and life**

**I hope it's well enjoyed**

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"What... the hell are you?" Rick said slowly as the shock of my actions pierced his consciousness, I'm sure by now the voices in his head were screaming out that it's not right for someone's nails to grow out like that and then retract. I pushed Rick back into the van and looked deep into his horrified eyes; even though I'm sure he had me figured out I couldn't falter from my decision. I needed to do this, something deep inside my soul told me this was the right thing to do. I dreaded this feeling, but no one else was in the position to do this, so I needed to step up,

"I'm not worth saving. Go... I will get to Merle" before Rick or anyone else had the time to think I closed the shutter to the truck. The driver took this as a sign and tore off out of the loading dock. Moaning and gurgling drew me back into my current predicament. What was I thinking, I'm not a hero. Rotten hands outstretched, the bumbling horde made their way to me at an alarming rate. I needed to find a way through them, quickly. Searching for a possible exit I noticed one undead stumble and fall towards me. Grabbing his shirt I pushed him back, sending more unsteady dead falling backwards into a heap. Now, this was my chance. I hopped off the loading dock platform and hurried towards the metal fence. Without wasting time I hopped it with ease, I can't believe I'm making this up as I'm going. This is unlike me; usually I have a plan before I go running into a situation. I made it around to the front of the building without any signs of the dead. I suppose the horde that had followed Rick and Glenn back were all inside the building. Still, it's dangerous to underestimate these things.

I looked up at the roof and used my hand to block out the fading sun. It was larger than the last one I jumped, but seeing as how I didn't have a choice to take the stairs, this would be my only option. I positioned myself and jumped to the first ledge of the building which was just a window with a large sill and a planter box. One more leap and I was on the roof, the sun reflected off of the metal of the large pipes into my eyes. Covering them again I called out to Merle, no answer. Walking towards the pipe I noticed a pool of blood and a severed hand. He didn't... did he? Kneeling and picking up the bloodied hand, I could see a powered white residue, like the consistency of chalk wiped off on the back of the hand. Earlier when he was picking a fight with Glenn, I noticed the same substance on his nose. No doubt this was a mood altering drug. This was indeed Merle's hand, now where is he? Blood droplets led my eyes towards the edge of the building, he didn't jump did he? Standing from my crouch, the building on the other side of the ledge came into view, along with ladder handles. He took off, probably in survival mode since no one was coming to help him. I wasted my time.

"I'm not going after him" I decided, for one I didn't want this job in the first place. Although my gut told me I needed to go after him, I knew it was a bad idea. Besides, he didn't seem like the type to want help from a lady, let alone one who was saving his sorry hide. I stood alone on the top of the roof, where to go from here? Now that everyone was gone I was alone again. I've been alone before, this is nothing special. The door behind me banged and creaked as the undead piled against it in a vain attempt to break the chain and open it. I let out a huge sigh, what am I suppose to do? Should I go back to Rick and let him know I failed to find Merle, or leave this place in search of my quarry and let them think I'm dead. Either way I'll be alone again... why does this feeling of being alone torture me so? Deciding it was better to be on my own I jumped down from the building and landed gracefully on the ground.

"I'll search the city... perhaps he is here" I said out loud to no one in particular. I began my walk through the city.

Hours passed and there was no sign of Johara in the city of Atlanta. Moving on was my best option. Remembering what I could about the layout of the city, I headed back towards the highway I travelled before. Walking down the main street I saw the armoured chariot where I met Rick. The bodies of our undead foes still littered the streets. I found myself stopped and staring at the battlefield at my feet, it felt good to fight with someone again. Depending on someone to watch your back and vice versa.

"Rick..." I sighed and walked towards the mountain of metal and sat down on the wheel hard. I was at a crossroads and I needed to choose now. I noticed my feet were dirty, the black nails of my toes have gotten even blacker with the dirt from the earth and the blood from the undead . I tried to wipe away some grime when I noticed a bag underneath the wheel. I slide down to a sitting position and pulled the bag into my lap, I could smell gun powder. I knew what was in the bag before I opened it. Rick must have dropped the bag of guns when he was fleeing the wall of walkers. Perhaps I could return them, knowing humans like them will be in need of something with a bit more kick. I suppose fate has decided what I must do; tossing the back strap over my shoulder I began my journey towards the highway. Tracking them would be a tough job considering they were travelling by that van and me by foot. I heard blonde haired girl say something about a group earlier when she was fighting with Rick. I smelled the faint odour of burning wood closer to the forest earlier during my trek, I shall try there first. I hopped the concrete divider in the center of the highway and walked between the cars into the ditch.

The forest seemed practically untouched by the plague infecting this world. I touched the bark of a large redwood that stood alone in a clearing. The thoughts of my homeland swept into my memories like summer wind, the warm and tingling sensation made my hairs stand on end. My world was like this once; carefree and abundant with natural resources. Now, it was a shell of its former self... another wrong I never righted. I couldn't save anyone... my village... my family...

SNAP! I turned sharply as I came face to face with an arrow was pointed in my face, behind that arrow was a rather sophisticated crossbow, and behind that a stoic hunter. I sensed no malice in the man, this was more as a precaution than anything.

"Who're you?" the man asked shifting his weight and pushes the arrow closer to my face. He was trying to intimidate me I guess.

"Mai" I answered in a low voice. The man did not lower his weapon, in fact, he was itching to fire it. His fingernail flicked against the metal of the trigger, any more force and the arrow will be lodged in my eye socket. Inhaling to collect my thoughts, I noticed a distinct wilderness odour coming from this man, seeing if my hunch was right I commented,

"You...smell like Merle" The man lowered his weapon slightly,

"You know Merle?" he asked. When I could see he hunter's eyes, I noticed the same loneliness behind them just as Merle had; like they were longing for someone to look out for them, for someone to care.

"I met Merle in Atlanta. But there was an attack... Merle was handcuffed to the roof. I went back for him after I got everyone to leave safely... when I got there he was gone"

"Bullshit!" the man yelled pushing me back into the tree, once again the arrow was in my face.

"It's true, all I found was his hand, and no trace of Merle"

"His... hand?"

"He sawed it off in an attempt to flee. I followed some of the blood but I didn't find him"

"I'm going after him" the man said walking off in the direction I came from. I sighed and followed,

"That was hours ago when I found the hand. If Merle was smart he'd be gone and out of Atlanta"

"You don't know Merle like I do, he's my brother"

"Your right, I don't know Merle like you do. But I do know one thing, and that's if someone is in survival mode like Merle was. He won't stay put, he's long gone by now. Chasing a faint trail of hope will get you killed" this made the man stop dead in his tracks. He knew I was right, the shudder of defeat he tried to hide clearly showed that I was right. The man turned towards me and looked at the bag I was carrying,

"You know Rick?" he asked, "cause that's the bag he said he lost"

"I saved Rick in Atlanta, I was bringing this back to him" I could see the wheels in his head turning. He was thinking about bringing me back to their encampment, but he must have heard from Rick about my nails. He was afraid of becoming the next skewer victim.

"Alright...come on" he sighed shouldering his crossbow and walking towards the clearing. Taking his cue, I followed. I was unsure about what he was leading me into, but I followed in silence.

It was dusk by the time we reached the camp. The man Daryl was welcomed with semi open arms, I was shunned almost immediately. I guess new comers to this group are not welcome. I sighed deep in my head, why does this bother me so much. These people don't mean anything to me, yet I feel hurt. Bah, stupid emotions anyways. I dropped the gun bag by the large house chariot and began to leave. I walked right into Rick. At first he was shocked to see me, his blue eyes almost bugged out of his skull. I took a step back pressing my back up against the side of the house,

"Mai... is that you?" Rick asked. He seemed sure that I would have perished in that horde earlier, but here I was standing in front of him not looking no worse for wear. I nodded to his question as a smile lit up his face,

"I'm glad"

"I'm going" I announced pushing myself off the side of the mobile home and walking past Rick. All eyes watched me as I walked through the darkening campsite. I was an outsider, I don't want any trouble from them nor do I want to get attached. Rick caught up to me and lightly grabbed my arm,

"Mai, your hurt'

"No, I'm not" pulling my arm away I continued to walk away from the camp. Another woman, with shoulder length brown hair stepped in front of me blocking my exit.

"Rick is right, there's blood down your leg" the woman commented moving my kimono to the side. I pulled away again this time inhaling sharply, finally noticing that my wound on my side has been opened.

"Let's get you cleaned up" the woman said taking me towards the mobile home. She opened the door and helped me in. An elderly man wearing a fishing hat was sitting in the seat that was in front of the large window, he looked up at his new visitors and tossed the woman a questioning glance.

"Dale, we need to have some privacy please. I'm going to bandage Mai up"

"Ah, say no more Lori" Dale said raising his hand to get Lori to stop explaining, standing from his seat he moved past me before stepping out from the home and closing the door. We moved down the crowded hallway, I noticed pictures of what looked like Dale's family on the walls. These people were hit just as hard as I was, they lost loved ones as well. Lori sat me down on the bench bed in the back of the home. She gave me a warm smile before rooting through the cabinet for medical supplies.

"You're Rick's wife" I stated remembering just now the picture Rick showed me in the city, the smiling wife and the happy child. I could tell that Lori was suddenly uncomfortable. Obviously I hit a nerve of some kind, perhaps Lori wasn't the happy housewife I assumed she was. Lori nodded to my statement as she asked me to remove my kimono. I obliged by first taking off my sword and leaned it against the wall then I removed my kimono slowly as I felt the oozing of the warm blood trickle down my side. Knowing Lori would ask me to remove my dress, I did that as well. Lori didn't seem to mind that I wore nothing else underneath as she examined the seriousness of my wound.

"This doesn't look like a bite... what happened" Lori asked looking at me. Should I be honest with this woman.

'It's ok, you don't have to tell me" she added in after seeing my wheels turning. She cleaned up the blood slowly, saying it was because she didn't want to hurt me. I knew different, she was scared of me. I know now that Rick must have told everyone at camp what had happened. Being scared is a normal reaction to something out of the ordinary, and I commend Lori for treating my wounds even after she knows she's in the presence of a monster. I looked down at the wound for the first time since waking up. I could see the wound was healing at a slower rate, perhaps it was because I hadn't rest in a while. I've been on the move since waking up.

"How long ago did you get this wound?" Lori was bandaging up the cut now.

"Yesterday" I answered. Lori instantly looked into my eyes, this answer seemed to terrify her.

"Y... yesterday?" she stammered asking me again. I nodded.

"This wound is healing without stitches" she whispered lowly not wanting other's to hear her. I nodded again,

"I'm surprised it's not healed fully by now"

"What are you?" she asked giving me almost the same look Rick had given me in Atlanta. Anger boiled up inside me. I saved Rick and the other survivors in Atlanta, I went back for Merle out of my own generosity and I brought back the weapons Rick dropped by the armoured chariot. I was now singled out as some sort of abomination because my wounds are healing faster than normal. Sliding my dress on I stood from my sitting position,

"I don't need to explain anything to you..." grabbing my sword and my kimono I left the home quickly, I stopped in my tracks when I noticed all of the women gathered around the door and some men by the window. These people wanted to know what I was and they thought Lori would get it out of me while bandaging my wounds. I picked out Andrea and Glenn from the crowd, and I focused most of my glare on them. I didn't know the other people and I understood they're curious but Andrea and Glenn saw me in action and they wanted to know for their own satisfaction. Rick and another man walked over towards the home,

"What's going on?" Rick asked. Most of the group quickly dispersed leaving only Andrea, Glenn and another younger blonde that stuck close to Andrea. Lori came out of the home,

"Nothing Rick, I just finished bandaging her up"

"Look, I know all of you are curious about Mai. Truthfully I am too, but this is not something that just comes out. She needs to feel comfortable in telling us, and crowding around the mobile house hoping to catch a glimpse is not a way to gain trust" Rick explained to the small group. I could tell that Rick was sincere. He wanted to know just as much as everyone else but he was willing to wait. The other man shifted in his spot placing his hands on his hips and looking down,

"We're burning daylight Rick, let's do a perimeter check"

"Alright Shane" Rick answered and walked off with the inpatient one. The others seemed to walk off in their own directions leaving me standing alone. The younger blonde came back to me and smiled,

"I'm Amy, I need some help with supper. Would you like to help?"

"You assume I know how to cook because I'm a woman?" I asked. Amy blushed instantly and looked everywhere but my face. She was embarrassed to make such an assumption. This brought a smirk to my face,

"I'll help with supper"

Supper consisted of fried fish and heated beans in a can. Everyone sat around the fire laughing and enjoying stories of how Rick made his daring escape from the hospital and made his way back to his family. I sat furthest away from the fire, watching all of them interact. To think even in this time there are still precious moments where one still needs to laugh and smile. I threw the bones of my fish into my small fire, these people were still in the hopeful stage. Hope is something that will get you killed, and its best to abandon it before it becomes a delusion.

"Mai" a small voice called. I looked towards the group as everyone was now staring at me, Amy was smiling and patting the log beside her, "Please come and join us". This girl seemed to pull at my heart strings. I nodded grabbing my sword from its leaning place against the tree and walked over. Amy was kind enough to wash my clothing to get the blood out, and it felt nice to have clean clothes on. I sat down beside the blonde haired girl. The conversations all stopped as people looked uneasily at each other. The boy sitting between Rick's legs was the only one staring at me. This invitation was only because Amy felt sorry for me, no one else wanted me there. We sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity before the small boy broke the silence,

"Why do you have a sword, why not a gun?"

"Carl, don't pry" Rick chuckled ruffling his son's hair.

"Guns in my world backfire easily, it's better to have something that won't jam up" I explained pulling out my sword with a "shink" noise from its sheath. The blade shimmered in the camp fire. It's been a while since I've looked at the craftsmanship of my sword, the only thing that's really kept me alive.

"Your world?" Carl asked again. I looked at the small child, his eyes not leaving mine. He was a strong boy this one, he wanted to know about me simply because he needed to trust me. In order to trust me, I needed to share with him my story.

"Yes, my world"

"Are you an alien?" Carl asked now finally interested, this I found hilarious. I laughed loudly scaring everyone in the campsite. I placed my sword back in its sheath and laid it down at my feet,

"No boy, I am not" picking up a stick I began to draw two globes in the sand with a line connecting the two, "my world is parallel to yours"

"Why?"

"It has always been this way since ancient times. My world and your world are connected by a simple thread that allows us to travel to this plain and vice versa. The thread is called in my world is called Foreverium, or binding thread. In your world I believe it's called Magic"

"Wait... so your saying, your magic?" Amy piped up. Everyone now was looking at me. I looked back at them before turning my attention to Amy,

"No, I am not magic, nor do I have anything like that"

"But your nails... and your healing... and your sword" Glenn stammered. I knew this would come up, my origins. The group was naturally curious about me and I don't blame them. I was unsure about if I should even tell them, it would only ostracize me more. I heard Lori call me a monster earlier in the evening to one of the other women, Carol.

"She doesn't have to tell us anything she doesn't want to" Rick piped up jumbling my thoughts. Everyone just gave a simple nod and looked back at the fire, Carl studied the drawing in the sand.

"Why do they call it the binding thread?" he asked pointing to the line connecting the two spheres.

"From what I understand, the two worlds feed of the energy produced. Whenever someone here dies of normal causes, someone in our world is born. When someone dies in our world, 3 people are born here"

"Why so many on our side?"

"We age differently in my world. Days there are months here, therefore there's more energy to give when we die"

"Are there humans in your world?"

"Yes, humans there are mostly farmers, since there is nothing special about them. Often they are food for..." I trailed off, that is something that really shouldn't be brought up.

"For the walkers?" Carl asked finishing my sentence. Everyone looked at me again, some had glares, others had bewilderment.

"No, I was going to say demons"

"Walkers are demons?" Amy asked. I shook my head,

"My world consists of creatures that are different in nature. Demons roam freely in my world, causing havoc and destruction. Than a race called the Lavarians, they possess powers beyond my comprehension; they live in a silver city located in the center of my world. They govern and control the whole population. We have lived in peace for thousands of years under the watchful eye of King Ghinsean and Queen Asheena. Under the King and Queen come the Mages, beings who control the very fabric of the Foreverium, and regulate the world by feeding life back into the many fabrics woven throughout. There was a council of three that are in charge feeding life back into the world; Galvian the Black, Ryouken the White, and Johara the Red"

A collective wow came from the group, who seem to hang on my every word.

"So what did you do in your world?" Glenn asked, "I mean... you have a sword and you know how to use it... "

"I suppose in your world I would have been a police officer. In my world I was the Commander of the Royal Legion. We carried out the orders of the King and Queen to the letter, and protected the land from the dangers of our world. This sword was given to me as proof of my leadership; I received the sword when I was young and I've guarded my world ever since" my words felt heavy on my soul. I was the Commander than, now... I am nothing.

"You seem only in your 20's now" Lori noted, "how old are you?"

"As I said before, we age differently in my world. I might look young, in reality I'm 432"

"Bullshit!" Daryl exploded from behind the group. He shot up from his spot and pointed at me, "magic and shit ain't real! She's makin up stories"

"You believe in the walking dead, but not in my story?" I questioned. Daryl stammered and shook his head. He sat back down and continued cleaning his crossbow.

"Did you have a family?" Amy's question hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn't thought about them since it all started.

"I...I did..." I started. I remembered everything from that day, the fire... the destruction...

"You lost them, didn't you?" Amy's cool hand touched mine. I pulled away and threw the stick into the fire,

"Yeah, all because of Johara" I started. I needed to face my own past in order to face Johara now. He ruined my life, and he will pay.

"What... what happened?"

"We always suspected Johara, he was always sneaking about and lurking in the shadows. He was always very neglectful of his duties and condescending towards the other Mages and even the King and Queen who trusted their council completely. The head of the council, Galvian, beseeched the King to allow him to replace Johara with someone more suitable and trustworthy; the King, who still had trust in Johara, couldn't bring himself to do it and ignored Galvian's plight and turned away the old man. When I came back from my errand for the King, I noticed Johara speaking with him in private. At the time I didn't know what it was for so instead of interrupting I went to see my mate, or husband as you called them here, the White mage Ryouken. He seemed troubled but did not want to speak about it. I know now it was because of Johara and how they were trying to be rid of him behind the King's back. I tried to get Ryouken to speak about what was happening but to no avail. The King summoned me and like a blind sheep I went to him. I should have never have answered the call, if I didn't. Everyone I knew and loved would still be here. The King ordered me to take my best soldiers and eradicate the demon menace on our borders, a task I accepted and carried it out. Before leaving Ryouken came to me and asked me not to go, but to go home to our children to keep them safe. I refused since an order from the King must be carried out. I left for the border town of Mysteria, when I got there it was..." I paused in the story, having all these memories come flooding back was overwhelming. I could tell the pause made everyone in the group that was listening nervous. My lips were parched and dry from the air and my throat ached for water. Rick offered me a bottle of water which I took without hesitation and sipped slowly allowing the water to trickle down my dry throat and dissolve my thirst.

"Mai... what did you see at the village?" Glenn broke the silence like glass, I looked over at him my eyes grim.

"I saw death, everywhere" I started, "someone had gotten to the village before us and killed everything. Not even the animals were left alive"

"Why... did you King send you into a dead village?" Shane finally piped up after hearing only the tail end of the story, he tossed some more firewood into the fire, "it doesn't make any sense"

"At the time I didn't understand either. I ordered my men to search out any survivors. We all spread out and searched the village. The smell of death and decay was rampant throughout the village, my newest recruit unfortunately had a weak stomach and vomited up most of what he ate that morning. Others poked fun as I continued hoping to find something. I remember hearing nothing, no birds no animals, no wind. Just silence. This kept me on edge, often times it was a signal for an ambush but my soldiers did not pick up on the absence of sound. Almost instantly I saw movement under a pile of charred corpses. Smirking I walked over and moved the bodies to find a small girl. I could tell she was dead due to her decaying flesh and the obvious rigor mortis that set in, but her eyes were open and moving. The milky whiteness of her blind eyes locked onto me and her jaw opened letting out this wheeze of a moan. She was pinned under the bodies but her jaw continued to open and close like she was trying to reach me. I dared not to touch the girl but I was unsure of what else I could do. A scream of help echoed through the dead village. I didn't have time to tend to this girl, I hurried towards my comrade. When I got to his location, I was in shock. The bodies of the villagers were biting into his flesh and clawing at his armor. He reached out to me yelling my name as another sunk its teeth into his hand and pulling, ripping the thumb clean off. I called out to him, but he collapsed under the weight of the bodies, the sound of crunching bone was heard as he let out a final moan. Another blood curdling scream came from behind me, I looked on in horror as my men... my friends were being eaten by the villagers we came to protect. The best men I've ever trained couldn't fight back against their own countryman, and it seemed that this weakness was their downfall"

"My god... sounds like... walkers" Andrea gasped placing her hand on her throat. I nodded in silence, that day was only starting for me, I continued my story not caring if anyone else listened.

"I flew back to the King to give my report. When I returned to the Silver City I saw only flames of destruction. The Palace was overrun by what you call Walkers. Friends ate their friends, children feasted on their care givers, lovers tore out one and other's throats. It was an absolute blood bath. I needed to fight my way through to the throne room. I blanked out their faces as I tore through them, many of the people I slew were men and women I trained with, I ate dinner with, and I laughed with. There was no more humanity left in them, they were nothing more than shells of flesh with an intense need to feed. When I reached the throne room, the King was already lost. His beloved Queen kneeling beside him, scooping out his intestines and shoveling them into her mouth, all she cared about was satisfying her intense insatiable hunger. A collective moan was heard behind me as the ones I left alive were beginning to make their way down the hallway. I backed away from the door as I felt someone grab my shoulder. Luckily my quick reflexes managed to push away the attacker as I sunk my nails into their skull. I was horrified to see the face of Galvian looking back at me. If Galvian had fallen to this plague, then what of my mate and my children? I had to get to them before this mob. I returned quickly as I could to my village on the boarder of the Silver City. But..." I paused again. The emotions rising in my throat,

"I...I was too late. The village was lost to the plague... outraged I tore through the undead roaming through the streets. I didn't care who they were anymore. When I finished my rampage I walked towards my home at the end of the street. The door was ajar. Pushing it open with my sword I stepped into the darken hallway. The pitiful sound of a child crying radiated through the quiet house. My children... my babies were still alive somewhere. I turned the house upside down looking for them. I found my eldest child, my daughter, lying on the floor in the kitchen. Dropping to my knees beside her and gently picked her up, she was bitten on the shoulder, her life blood covered the floor. She was clinging to life, her breath was shallow. I whispered her name to her, "Serian...Serian..." all she could do was gasp at me, I could tell she was trying to form a word but a gasp was all she could muster. I rocked her gently as she finally fell limp in my arms. My daughter... she was only 10... I didn't move from my spot for what seemed like an eternity. I felt movement from her body, a twitch at first, but then full convulsions. Her eyes opened to reveal bloodshot retinas, her skin pale as the moon. At that moment I put two and two together, these things were not unleashed on us like an airborne virus, it was transferred by bites, and the when the host dies they reanimate becoming the walking dead. I couldn't let my child live like this, I had to put her out of her misery. I can never forget plunging my sword through her skull. Her eyes did not close but continued to stare at me, her unwavering gaze of persecution. I gave my child a proper burial in the backyard by her favorite tree. I needed to find out what happened to my mate and my son. I searched the streets again, looking under houses and bodies until I found him. My toddler, Lyon, covered in blood and dirt. He wasn't bitten by anything, from what I could make out he was trampled by the fleeing crowd. It sickened me that no one would bother to pick up a child in their attempt to flee... I...I'm sorry I can't talk anymore" I finished my story as I felt tears stinging my eyes. I stood from the fire and excused myself.


	3. Chapter 3: Monster

**The third chapter is a gift for keeping those who enjoy the story waiting. **

**I hope to have the 4th one up as soon as I get some energy!**

* * *

I walked into the dark woods alone. I couldn't let them see me cry, I'm too strong for that. My family was dead and gone. There was nothing I can do for them now and I won't cry anymore, I needed to find the red Mage and make him pay for what he did. Before knowing it, I found myself back in the same clearing Daryl discovered me before. I realized that I had just poured my heart out to a group of strangers and from what I could tell they didn't judge me. I had the same experience they had, the undead coming back and devouring my happy life. I decided that it was best for me to leave. My wound has healed enough for me to travel, and really I would only be a burden to them. I was looking for Johara and nothing more. After my revenge was complete I would simply fade into nothingness anyways. I had no will to live. I leaned against the bark of the tree and closed my eyes, I began to listen to the forest around me. I was always taught that the forest was the shelter from the storm, whether it be natural weather or personal. Being close to this forest gave me solitude and peace. If I ever had to die before my time, I hope it would be here. I continued to listen to the wildlife, the crickets on the night wind, the skittering of the woodland creatures. Then it all fell silent, the wind moving the drying leaves was the only sound I could hear. I couldn't have disturbed them, could I? No, this was something far more sinister. I listened more deeply to the sounds, my expert ears picked up the crunching noises of multiple feet; a group of at least 12, moving as one with their feet stumbling around in the dark. I inhaled slowly taking in the air around me, the sudden smell of decay hit my nostrils.

"No..." I gasped heading back towards the camp as fast as I could run. Gunshots and screams pierced my eardrums, I was too late! Sliding to a stop in the camp, there was nothing but chaos and confusion. The undead were uncoordinated but so was the group, unfortunately the undead were much more effective. I reached for my sword when I realized I had left it by the campfire. I didn't have time to look for it now, a walker grabbed me from behind knocking me off balance and onto the ground. Before having a chance to sink it's teeth into my flesh I managed to elbow it in the face, disorienting it and causing it to loosen its death grip on my clothing. I lurched forward with my shoulders prying them free of the long boney fingers and rolling quickly onto my back then rolling again to get away from the walker I had just rolled over. The walker hissed and reached for me again, arm over arm it crawled towards me with a purpose. Scrambling to my feet my eyes caught the glimmer of my sword sitting by the darkened campfire. The walker grabbed my foot with its hands and pulled itself forward to take a bite. My other foot quickly dispatched the undead fiend with a powerful stomp. The ooze and brain matter squished through my toes, the smell was disgusting. Freeing my foot and grabbing my sword I hurried through the camp, finishing off the remaining stragglers. The campers that were bitten had already expired and now were waiting to be reanimated, it was better to finish them off now than later. A quick thrust of my sword through their skulls ended the reanimation process.

"Mai!" Rick called out to me, "are you... alright?" he was covered in blood. His hands were on his hips and he was trying to catch his breath.

"Yes, I'm alright" I confirmed while cleaning my blade of blood using the dead man's clothes beside me. Rick didn't seem to mind, but he was clearly shaken from the attack. I noticed Carl and Lori by the house holding onto each other, Rick's family was safe and it looked like only a handful of campers survived the attack. This was undoubtedly a first for them, loosing so many people they cared about in one night. During the initial outbreak all they cared about was themselves and their immediate family. Now, they grew too comfortable with each other and let their guard down for what seemed like a few seconds. They were overrun and devoured because they didn't accept the fact that the world has changed, and people cannot be left unguarded. This was a hard lesson to learn, but I feel this lesson would be one they all learned fairly quickly and it won't be happening again.

The melodies of the morning song birds played through the treetops of the forest, unaware of the carnage the sunrise unveiled. Our camp was a warzone and I was helping Shane bury the causalities. We both worked in silence, but something about this man made me uneasy. He was clearly more protective of Lori and Carl then one should be. Lori and Shane must have a history together, that's why Lori was so uncomfortable when I asked if she was Rick's wife. She thought she could hide her infidelity but she was not a very good actress. As I buried Carol's husband Shane spoke,

"Rick's wrong ya know"

"About?" I asked. I knew full well what Shane meant but I wanted to hear it from this ex police officer.

"About the CDC... we should head to Fort McMurry and hunker down. We need to regroup and start fresh. Goin off on some wild goose chase is gonna get us all killed" Shane stuck his shovel in the dirt and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. He looked at me as I finished with my plot and moved onto digging another.

"You should talk to Rick... he respects ya. Maybe you can get him to change his mind"

"I don't know anything really about your world except what I read in books. I don't know about Forts, or CDC's or anything. I will not be travelling with you for long, and this is not my decision to make"

"If yer part of this group, it is a decision your apart of" Shane said leaning on his shovel, "you need to speak up"

"I don't need to do anything Shane" sticking my shovel in the dirt I looked at him, "All I want is Johara's head on a fucking stake"

"Then why are you here?" he asked. I never really thought about why I was still here. I guess the truth of the matter is, I enjoyed being here with this group. It was different then being alone like before.

"From yer actions, seems you like our little set up" Shane was right and he knew it, "So I guess you need to make a decision with us. Are you going to go with Rick to the CDC or with me to Fort McMurry"

"These bodies won't bury themselves" I changed the subject quickly. I didn't care where I went, I had no where special to be. Shane grunted and walked off leaving me to my task.

Rick stood around the mobile home waiting for everyone. I stood away from the group and watched the interaction unfold. Rick was charismatic, an honest and just man with a heart of gold. He wanted the best for the people who so quickly made him into their leader, Shane stood next to Rick. They looked very mismatched as they spoke. One wanted to keep the group safe, the other wanted nothing more than to find the nearest military outpost and hunker down.

"If we go to the Fort, we'll have military protection and we can live in peace" Shane argued. This was simply a show of bravado to match Rick's obviously honey coated words. I stepped forward,

"If we go to the Fort, they'll kill us all" everyone snapped their heads towards me. Shane was obviously more upset then everyone else, he placed his hands on his hips and prepared for the coming argument,

"Why would you say that? The military is sworn to protect"

"My experiences might be slightly different from yours Shane, but let me tell you this. During a potential war, or in this case and outbreak, the military will not be looking to add to their already enormous burden. They have limited amount of food and water, just like us, but they prefer to protect those that are close to them, such as their families or friends. They will not extend help beyond telling us to move along, so they don't have to waste their bullets killing us" murmurs began to spread over the crowd. Shane was at a loss for words, he knew this time I was right.

"Fine... what would you do in this situation then Miss Otherworld?" Shane sneered trying to throw the precarious situation back in my face. I walked towards the front of the group and stood toe to toe with Shane, my face inches away from his,

"My name is General Maionis Ryouken, not Miss Otherworld. You'll do well to remember that... Sheriff's Deputy Shane Walsh" I growled lowly following my sentence, he will not embarrass me or talk down to me simply because I was a woman and an outsider. Shane moved away from me and looked away, my silver eyes pierced his soul like steel. I looked towards Rick then towards the group,

"I know it seems... hopeless... but Rick's suggestion is preferable. Considering the factor's here, we're exposed to the elements and potential attacks out here in the woods. Going to a military force seeking help would be a fool's errand, they would other turn us away or kill us on the spot. The CDC might also do the same if they are protected by armed forces, but that being said, the military might have been pulled from the CDC to reinforce another establishment. The best option is to keep moving at all cost. Staying in one place for too long could make us soft and allow the undead to surround and kill us"

"But we don't have the resources to keep moving all the time" Dale piped up as he pointed to the mobile home, "the cars we drive require gas, and that's not something we can go the gas station and get anymore"

"And we're running low on food and water... our ammo situation isn't good either. We can't be traversing the world with nothing!" Lori backed Dale up adding more hopelessness to the group. I sighed loudly and crossed my arms,

"Living with convenience has made you all very weak. Who cares if the cars break down, we'll continue on foot"

"But we'll be sitting ducks for the walkers" Glenn added, "Since moving in such a large group would attract attention. And we have children here as well; they won't be walking for long"

"I cannot help you if you don't want to be helped" I said harshly. I couldn't believe they were throwing more barriers at me than solutions. Everyone turned to Rick. Rick sighed and looked at Shane and me; shaking his head he made his decision. The CDC was the best option for now. Everyone began getting into their cars. One family decided to head back to their home town and drove off before getting emotional. This was going to be a waste of time... I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. I don't understand why these humans needed to find out the answers to this outbreak, it was pure and simple... at least to me anyways.

"Mai, come on" Rick called out to me as he slide into his car. I scanned the convoy looking for an available seat. The only one who didn't have anyone to ride with was Daryl, so I leaned into the window, "You mind?" I asked. Daryl looked at me than back at the wheel, not confirming or denying my question. Taking this as a yes I opened the door and slide into the passenger's seat. Before long we were all on our way towards the city that the CDC was located in. Daryl and I didn't speak for the longest time, he watched the road as I glanced at the scenery.

"Are you a hunter?" Daryl finally broke the silence with a gruff question. I turned towards him and studied his side profile. Why would he ask me something like that, I felt obliged to answer him.

"It's a skill that one needs to know, when you travel a lot"

"Heh..." Daryl chuckled to himself and looked the other way towards the opposite of the road, "you sound like my brother"

"Merle?" I asked him. I couldn't forget the man on top of the roof, shooting at the undead without a care in the world, and throwing insults at those who opposed him. Daryl began chewing on his thumbnail as he turned his attention back to the car in front.

"Why did you leave him..." another question from the ever stoic man. I didn't really know how to answer this. Sure Merle was a danger to himself and others, but it didn't seem fair for him to be stranded on the roof like he was. We both went silent again for a bit, before my conscious got the better of me

"I went back for him" I finally admitted, "but he was gone... I didn't want to go looking for him. Merle seems like the kind of man that if he doesn't want to be found, than he won't be"

"...Rick said you went back" Daryl sighed, "...its more than anyone else did"

"Sorry I didn't bring him back with me" I looked down at my lap. Guilt washing through me much like the rapid rivers that carved the canyons of old. I should have at least found something to bring back to Daryl, to prove that Merle was still alive... I didn't bother to bring the hand with me since it would only upset everyone. Daryl only grunted at me. I suppose I was to take that as a "don't worry about it" but I didn't press him on it. We continued towards the CDC in a heavy silence.

The sun was setting by the time we pulled up towards the large elaborate white building that stood as a beacon of hope in the desolate wasteland. The groups slowly piled out of their cars, looking towards the building, the metal shutters around the building were down protecting the survivors inside. Army barriers and forgotten vehicles littered our view; bodies of vanquished undead and half eaten remains made the city street seem like a graveyard. As I figured, the Army abandoned this outpost for a more favorable position but not before doing some major damage to the populace.

"Let's not stand around" Rick jolted people back to reality as he lead the group the building. I sighed and followed my hand on the hilt of my sword. This place seemed ominous and foreboding, whatever was going to happen inside this building was not going to end well. Shuffling of clumsy feet turned my attention to the group of undead that was attracted by our movement. The group saw them as well and began to hurry faster towards the building. I needed to buy them some time since I could fend for myself if they leave me outside. They were still fresh and scared to this whole outbreak, and to panic now would be disastrous. The walker closest to me lifted his only arm and made his way towards me, picking up speed as he closed in on his potential meal. The others behind him followed in a convoy of death and decay. Rick called out to me but I put up my hand to silence him, these things were focused on me, and that's what I wanted. Pulling my sword from its sheath with its trademark "shink" I waited for the right moment to strike. Even though the undead seem sporadic and clumsy they still walk like a human being with one foot in front of the other. With a trained eye and plenty of patience, a person could pick out the moment when the undead is most vulnerable and unable to attack with its full force. This walker in particular only had one arm making it only half of the threat but not any less deadly. With its full weight on the left side, I could easily knock it off balance and continue my way to kill the others and come back later to finish the job, or as I pass it, I could decapitate the monster leaving the body immobile and the head the only threat. With no further time to analyze the situation I bolted towards the walker, my sword at my side. In a quick motion I sliced the head from the walker's shoulders. The body dropped and the head rolled under the sandbags the army left behind. The others hobbled towards me with their arms outstretched. These walkers were fully intact and almost seemed like they were out for vengeance for their fallen comrade. I grabbed the body of the walker I just dispatched by the shredded clothes and hurled the dead weight at the mob. The force knocked the bumbling undead to the ground, the body keeping some of them pinned. I looked down at the walkers as they hissed and screeched in an attempt to free their decaying bodies in order to devour me. it was truly a pitiful sight to behold, the once proud race of this world were reduced to mindless abominations that need only to feed and wonder around to until they rot in the blistering sun.

"I'm sorry" I mumbled lowly as my foot rested on the head of the nearest walker. The jaws of the undead clacked as it tried to maneuver it's head to bite the flesh of my foot. Forcing my foot down ended the clacking and the walker's "life" as the black bile of its brain oozed over my foot, the bone of its skull protruded from the rotten skin. I dispatched the others with my sword. More moans filtered through the night air as the battle attracted more. That was plenty of time for the group to find a way in, I should take my leave...

"HEY!" Rick's yelling alerted me back to their position by the front of the metal door. They hadn't gotten in yet as a massive horde began to shuffle towards the new sounds they were hearing. I couldn't fight and protect the group at the same time. Backing away from the group of walkers I just killed and sheathing my sword I could hear Rick pounding at the door.

"What's the problem?" I question as I hurried towards the group.

"The door won't open!" Lori screeched as she held her son close, tears streamed down her face.

"We have to get back to the cars!" Dale pleaded as he pulled on Andrea's arm. The group was fallen apart and quick. Rick was begging with whomever was inside, saying all the right things to claim sanctuary. The undead moans were getting louder. We were running out of options.

"Cover me" I pushed Rick out of the way and stood in front of the metal door. All the men silently nodded and raised their fire arms towards the horde, the women and children stood behind them. I could see the darkness of what appeared to be an eye scanning me.

"Last chance" I offered the eye. The doors did not click or open. Having no other choice I crouched digging my hands under the lip of the metal door. Without much effort I stood slowly bringing the shutter up with me. The machinery inside whirled and sputtered as I pushed the door against the grain, a man stood on the other side of the glass doors looking at me with an utter shock of awe. My look told him to open the door which he obliged. The group scrambled inside as I ducked under the shutter, letting it go it closed behind me with a crash.

"I've never seen that before..." the man uttered to me. I grabbed the front of his jacket and pushed him into the wall,

"How dare you watch us die out there?!" I growled pushing my forearm deeper into his throat.

"Stop!" Rick and Shane grabbed my arms and tried to pull me back, I stood firm. They were unable to budge me. I wanted answers, he was there and he had the opportunity to open the door to let us in but he refused. He instead wanted to watch us suffer. He was going to pay for this one way or another.

"P...Please!" the man begged, "I was... trying! But... I've never seen... anyone...kill those things...like you!" I dropped the man as he rasped for breath, rubbing his throat with his hand. After catching his breath, the man spoke again, "I'm sorry... my name is Doctor Edwin Jenner. I need blood samples from each of you and then we can talk..."

"Why blood?" Andrea asked, "are you saying we might be infected?"

"Yes, I just want to make sure" Jenner confirmed with Andrea. He took blood from each of the group and allowed them downstairs. He got to me and gave me a superstitious eye. I offered my arm as he placed the tourniquet on my upper arm, the needle slid into my arm with its trademark sting. Red blood poured into the vile, neither of us spoke but I decided to say what he was thinking,

"You're going to be surprised doc..."

After confirming we were all ok, Jenner showed us around the CDC and the lower floor which consisted of a cafeteria, bedrooms, living area, and a games area. Everyone immediately dispersed to have a hot shower. Myself, I stood alone in the cafeteria. I heard all the giggling subside as everyone picked their rooms. Jenner was staring at me, my chart for my blood analysis was in his hand. Shooting him an "I told you" grin I sat down at the long metal table and reached for the jug of ice water. Jenner sat down next to me,

"I'm going to be honest here..." he began, "I've never seen anything like this... "

"Let me guess, you want me to tell you what exactly I am hmm?" I sipped my water as he stared at the papers. There were numbers and words on the sheets that I didn't understand, but he did. I could tell by the jolting of his eyes as he skimmed the paper again, he didn't understand the information any more than I did, and it was scaring him,

"You don't have a registered blood type..."

"No, I guess I don't"

"Your DNA looks... supernatural... I've never seen anything like this... and I've seen dead rise up and eat others" he ran his fingers through his greying hair, his tired eyes and mind were trying to make sense of everything. As my cup hit the metal of the table he snapped his head towards me.

"Jenner, I think you possible know what I am. What you're thinking is probably correct. What I do expect is that you keep your musings to yourself. The last thing I need is this group turning on me then each other"

"You could be dangerous" Jenner whispered as he lowered his eyes back to the page. I stood from my spot and walked away from him. I knew Jenner saw my going away present for him, the metal cup I was drinking from was crushed down into a ball. His frightened gasp filled the cafeteria as I continued to stroll out.

"Don't you ever sleep?" Rick asked me stumbling into the CDC lobby, then towards me, the wine bottle he had been drinking from was empty, but he was carrying it around anyways. The smell of fresh soap and fruity red wine filled my nostrils and I turned my head to meet Rick.

"I damaged the shutter, so it's my duty to protect those while they sleep" I answered the drunken officer. Rick smiled at me and slid down onto the floor, he watched the wall of metal with me for a bit in silence. His heavy breathing was the only noise in the quiet lobby.

"I don't understand something" Rick began. He gave me a "should I continue" look and I nodded. He needed this off his chest and I would allow him to ask what he needed.

"Back in Atlanta, you said you didn't want to be with our group... but here you are, fighting and living with us... why?" he yawned as he waited for my answer. Truth of the matter is, I was expecting to jump ship the moment the CDC was in range, but I stayed in Daryl's truck. Even now, when they are safe and sound here, I continue to watch over this group. I didn't have a true answer, nor was I going to lie to Rick.

"I don't know Rick" I admitted. I could have told him I owed Rick a debt since he did shoot that walker behind me when I saved him in Atlanta, but I came back when the camp was being attacked and I did buy them some time when they were trying to get into the CDC. I repaid my debt a thousand fold yet here I am still here protecting those who needed the protection. I guess my heart goes out to this band of survivors, they were just as lost as I was when the plague destroyed my world and killed those closest to me. In all honesty, I suppose I was trying to fill my own void in my soul. Rick slowly rose to his feet,

"Well, alright" he slurred steadying himself on the wall; "you be good now" he walked off towards the door, stumbling and shuffling like the undead outside. I smiled for the first time in forever, I felt understood.

Hunger got the better of me, and I knew the shutter was secure enough for me to wonder back down to the cafeteria. I walked through the bedroom hallway towards the cafeteria at the end. My sharp ears picked up a conversation at the furthest bedroom. I didn't want to eavesdrop so I continued, until my name was dropped. Stopping, I honed into the conversation. It was Lori and Rick, they sounded as if they were arguing.

"You don't expect to keep her here?" Lori started, her voice was loud but not loud enough to be heard by anyone else in the hallway.

"Mai saved my life Lori, she saved all our lives" Rick countered, I could hear him pacing in the room.

"She's not human... who can lift a solid metal door like that, or kill those things with such precision!?" Lori was getting more upset, her husband was not listening to her.

"I don't care if she's human or not, she's earned her place here"

"She's a freak and a monster Rick, think of our son..."

"You're saying she might hurt Carl?" Rick was getting agitated, he was trying to defend me but Lori was right, I am a monster.

"Rick, we don't even know if we can kill her... what happens if she's bit... she'll kill us all..." Lori's voice grew softer, tenderer as if she's trying to make her words easier to swallow and understand. My heart ached; this is what people thought of me here? Sure I wasn't human, I told them that. I felt comfortable showing my other side to these people, I thought they would understand. The door opened to Rick and Lori's room as Rick stepped out and came face to face with me. My face said it all, that I heard what they were talking about. Rick's mouth opened slightly as his brain tried to find the right words to say. Truthfully, there was nothing he could say. I knew how the people felt here, they all think I am a freak. I shook my head and made my way past Rick, as our arms brushed together he lightly grabbed my arm. I didn't look at him, but I was prepared to listen to what he had to say. Lori was looking at me from the door. I could hear others doors open as well. Bacon and eggs wafted into the small corridor and I concluded that it was indeed time for breakfast but everyone must have heard the conversation between Rick and Lori and now they want to know what I had to say.

"Mai..." Rick began, his voice was low like a whisper in the dark. I didn't answer him again.

"Please... you must understand"

"I understand plenty..." I was hurt, deeply hurt. I know Rick tried to defend me but the facts were on the table. No one wanted me here, I just didn't want to hear that coming from Rick. I pulled my arm away and made my way towards the cafeteria. Carol looked at me as I walked through the double doors, her hazel eyes casted her judgement upon me. The long metal table was full of food for the group. I walked past it and grabbed my sword from the shelf, keeping my gaze from meeting hers. Everyone filtered into the cafeteria, but I could feel all their eyes on me. Lori was the last one in, her eyes seemed to pierce the worst. Keeping my head lowered I moved towards the exit with a defeated stride. I was simply a monster in these people's eyes, no matter how many times I've saved them they still will look at me like this. I guess what they say is true... you're only useful when they need you, after that its goodbye.

"Mai..." Rick started again stepping forward but I lifted my hand to show I didn't want to listen anymore. I left the cafeteria and that irritating silence from the group. No one stuck up for me except Rick. They all accepted that bitch's logic.

"Like sheep" I scoffed to myself. They didn't want to lose their spot within the group either, and they supposed that I would be able to live on my own without them, which they were right. But the stinging in my eyes could not be ignored; I was hurt by their actions. They ostracized me, but I didn't blame them either. Before I realized it I was standing in the lobby, I could feel a presence of someone watching me. I scanned the lobby and noticed Jenner standing there, his hands behind his back. I put two and two together, he must have told them what he found in the data. Anger replaced my regret as I marched over to him with a purpose. He didn't falter as I grabbed his jacket again, my face inches from his. This time, there was no one else to pull me off of him, he was mine.

"I didn't tell them anything" he told me. A growl still came from my throat.

"It won't matter soon anyways what you are"

"What do you mean...?" I asked taking the bait. Jenner's tired eyes had been replaced with accepting eyes, almost like a man who was awaiting the end and has accepted his death. I loosed my grip on his clothing as I scanned his features. He was accepting of something, and I could almost feel what it was in the pit of my stomach.

"This place is going to blow in 10 minutes. I have failed to find a cure for this plague and in order to protect the research; the CDC was programmed with a detonation protocol that will obliterate this building along and everything in it"

"You...mean..." I stuttered. The horrible reality finally sunk in. My brain screamed at me to move and warn the others, but my body didn't move. I was shocked and unable to fully comprehend the situation

"Correct, and I'm glad your friends came along... I didn't want to die alone" Jenner's face twisted into a deranged smile. He was accepting of death, but his solitude in this place has warped his mind. Snapping out of my shock, I dragged the Doctor downstairs with me. I had a feeling the group wouldn't believe me without him backing me up. Bursting through the cafeteria doors, the group all turned towards me. Most turned back to continue to eat, I ended that as I threw the doctor onto the table upsetting the plates and food. Everyone stood from their chairs yelling my name in detest, I just ruined their meal, if they didn't listen to me, it will be their last.

"Mai... what the hell is wrong with you!?" Shane yelled brushing off the instant eggs from his pants. Everyone murmured the same distress as they brushed off their breakfast in the same fashion.

"This place is going to explode!" I tried to reason with the group.

"You're just saying that so we'll leave with you" Lori countered sitting Carl back down at the table. I shook my head and repeated what I said. Rick was the only one getting upset,

"Calm down, what do you mean explode?" Rick asked as his hand found the handle of his gun. He thought I was going crazy. I pointed to Jenner whose laughter broke the tension in the room; he sat up and crossed his arms,

"She's right" he confirmed my story, "this place will detonate in 7 minutes"

"Why didn't you tell us!?" Daryl grabbed the doctor by the coat and shook him, Jenner's smile didn't disappear, but widened.

"You never asked" he chuckled. Daryl pushed the doctor back down on the table and looked at Rick. Rick nodded and ordered everyone to grab their things, they were leaving.

"I'm giving you an opportunity to die without being eaten. This is your choice!" Jenner begged the group as he stumbled to his feet. The group didn't stop to listen and continued to gather their things from their rooms. Jenner followed as he pleaded with the group

"Please! I don't want to die alone!" he grabbed the arm of Andrea who was the only one who was listening to his crazy pleading. My eyes met hers for a brief moment, she made her choice, and she was planning on staying with Jenner. After she lost Amy, it seems she's lost her will to go on. Dale saw Andrea falter and stopped, he went back for her but she pushed him away. Shane grabbed Dale's arm and pulled him along, much to his protest. Andrea looked back at me and sat down on the cafeteria bench. Jenner sat with her, and placed his hand in hers. Kneeling in front of Andrea I took her hand in mine,

"This is a final choice" I started, "You can't go back after this has been decided"

"I can't go on... I have nothing more to live for"

"I know Amy meant a lot to you, she was your sister. Do you think she would want you to die here with someone you don't know?" I nodded my head towards Jenner.

"Don't take away this choice" Andrea pulled her hand away, "you're wasting time... leave" she had given up on life, just like I had when I lost my family. Revenge kept me going until now. I wanted to stay with this group and to be part of a family again. Andrea lowered her head and waited for the explosion. I pulled her to her feet,

"Stop! Let go!" Andrea pulled herself away from me and sat back down. Anger boiled up inside me, I grabbed her arm and pulled her once again to her feet. She glared at me but I didn't care. She was going to hear what I had to say, regardless if she wanted to or not.

"Andrea, you self centered little bitch. You don't comprehend the other forces at work here do you? This life is simply a shell of what will happen to your soul on the other side. Your death will have meaning regardless if you think it does or not. Dying here would be suicide, and that is a coward's way out. Living on for those who cannot anymore is not only courageous but the right thing to do. You do not honor Amy's memory with your death, in fact your spitting on it! Tossing it away into the trash like garbage" my grip tightened on Andrea's arm, "you other live and move on or you will die and face the consequences on the other side. That is the choice you have Andrea, now make it" I let her go and pushed her back into her seat. Tears welled up in her eyes as she let my words sink in. The final countdown boomed over the sound system. It seemed like an eternity but Andrea stood from her seat and nodded. I nodded back and left the cafeteria with her. Oddly enough, Jenner did not make a peep. He sat alone in the empty room awaiting the end.

The front window shutters were raised and the largest pane of glass was shattered. The group had made it out and was running across the parking lot towards the cars. Andrea was in front of me, pumping her arms to make herself go faster. The rumble under our feet meant the explosion had started. We didn't have much time until the rest of the building began to erupt in flames. Andrea hopped through the broken window and bolted towards the mobile home. Everyone yelling at Andrea to run faster, another explosion rocked the earth sending her tumbling to the ground. Dale went to leave the mobile home but Shane kept the door close. I began to see everything is slow motion, the sounds of the screaming people and moans of the undead became mute in my ears. I felt like I was running through water as I made my way towards Andrea. My overwhelming need to protect this group is what continued to drive me, even as the lobby burst into flames, igniting my kimono. I threw off the burning cloth as I cleared the window with a mighty leap. Andrea had scrambled to her feet but her face cringed with pain. Her leg had a piece of glass from the earlier explosion embedded in it. I now didn't have much of a choice, even though they will continue to see me as a monster, I couldn't hide my other powers for much longer. Dropping to my knees beside Andrea I buried her into my body as two large silver wings sprouted from my back and wrapped around use like a cocoon. The final explosion pierced our eardrums as the flames shot out from the building, enveloping us like a fireball. The heat and flames seared my skin but I endured, keeping Andrea tightly against my body. The flames subsided with a crackle noise, much like the sound a campfire makes when it goes from small flame to an ember. Andrea pushed against me, the explosion was over and the flames gone. Opening my wings slowly I surveyed the area around us, a smoldering nothingness was all I could see. The cars the group had piled into seemed unscathed minus some initial burn marks. they filed out of the cars and hurried towards us. They were safe, that's all I cared about. Standing with Andrea I could see the question in her eyes when I finally realized that the wings that had guarded us from the flames were still out, and nestled neatly behind my body. I finally felt the pain from my burns, which made me cringe. Andrea looked at my back and gasped. My whole skin was charred black, and the clothing had melted almost instantly. My wings remained intact and burn free; which seemed to terrify the group around me. I took a step forward before collapsing into the burned dirt.


	4. Chapter 4: Redemption

**I don't know how I feel about this chapter... **

**I was trying to give more humanity to the main character but I think I made her look more like a weakling...**

**Please... let me know what you think**

* * *

_The warm breeze of the ocean swept over my body as I stood on the cliff side overlooking the large body of water. The big sphere of fire began to set behind the wall of water. I felt at peace as I watched the scenery unfold in front of me. I was back in my homeland, the land of my birth. Before the outbreak, this is what I remembered the most about my world, the untouched beauty of nature. I was raised without the conveniences of towns, modernization and money. From what I could remember my childhood was a happy one, surrounded by family who loved me. My Clan was nestled in the mountains of Galore, a perilous journey was needed to make the trek. Perhaps that is why we evolved wings, to make the trip to and from our village with much more ease. I closed my eyes and remembered the scent of my mother, who often held me in her arms when I was feeling lost and distressed. I wish she was here now. I could feel the change in air temperature as I opened my eyes. I was back in my village, the happy children played by the large kiln that always burned in the center of the village. Our hearth kept us alive, since all of our fire came from our sacred kiln. The elders use to scold me for neglecting my duties to stoke the flames. My father was the kilns keeper, and since he had no sons to take on his line it was passed onto me. As a child I never wanted to take on responsibilities and often would shirk my duties and run off to play with the other children. My father never scolded me though, but always told me the same story of how our fire came to be. The first of our kind lit the fire in order to give birth to others, as a gratitude our people continued to stoke the everlasting fire in order to keep the flames alive in our hearts. I always use to ask my father why we even cared about our dead ancestors, since they no longer held any sway over our lives. This always brought a smile to my father's old and wise features. He was so patient with me, since I was nothing but a hot headed youngster. Whenever I would ask that question, he would always give me the same answer, _

"_If we forget those who have passed before us, then our futures will be without the wisdom of the ages"_

_Those words meant nothing to me when I was young and often times they don't even make sense now. I began to walk away from my village, towards the foot of the mountain. As I stepped onto the ground it began to shift into the marble flooring of the Silver palace. My old shredded clothing were replaced with my decant armour that when polished would shine like the moon itself, my long flowing red cape was attached to the shoulder pads, my wings folded and nestled behind my back, I removed my helmet and rested under my arm. Shaking my long silver hair free I looked around the large room. The throne room was simply brilliant as the King and Queen stood from their thrones, hand in hand looking towards the large teal coloured doors with growing anticipation and large radiating smiles, the servants all dressed in the best, the soldiers all stood in rows awaiting the upcoming event, their hands squeezed the handles of their flags. I smirked as the doors were opened by two servants. The happy couple walked into the room as a shower of white gardenia petals showered them like freshly falling snow. Arm in arm they walked towards the King and Queen, everyone could see the happiness radiating from them. It was my wedding day. We had just finished the ceremony and now we both needed to receive the blessing of the Royal pair, who have both been happily married since the creation of the Silver Palace. Ryouken looked as regal as ever, wearing white robes that rivaled my wedding dress in both length and brightness. His long white hair was braided with utmost care, as it wrapped around his shoulders once, the excess hanging over his left shoulder. He smiled at me with his handsome features, his grey eyes held nothing but love and respect for me, and I'm sure my eyes mirrored his. We loved each other from the moment we met. I was injured during the Demon War, I was careless and young and wanted to prove myself. My commanding officer at the time was giving us the pep talk when a legion of demons attacked our campsite. My commander was decapitated and without thinking I charged to avenge my fallen comrade when the sword of the demon behind me pierced my stomach. Collapsing under my own weight I laid there accepting my fate. Ryouken had found me alive and nursed me back to health, he wasn't a royal mage at the time and I was not the Commander of the Royal legion. After I was healed, both myself and Ryouken fought for our King and Country. Our valour allowed us to be offered our positions, and allowed us to become mates. I felt the heaviness of my amour fade and the soft feeling of silk replaces it. Looking down I could see I was in my wedding dress standing beside my beloved. His long fingers were wrapped in mine as the King read his blessing. My life was fulfilled and complete now. If I had to die, allow me to die when I was remembering this. Screaming broke my happiness, as the Queen sunk her teeth into the King's shoulder. The servants ran from the room as the guards stood helpless, unable to attack their Queen. She removed a chunk from her husband's shoulder and next attacks his neck. The king's screams became desperate attempts to breath as the blood poured from his mouth and nostrils. I turned towards Ryouken as his long white hair became red. His loving smile broke into a thin blade like smirk. Backing away my brain began to compute what was happening, it was that day when everything fell apart. Johara was now standing in front of me but I was unable to attack. My wedding dress erupted into flames as I covered my face with my hands. Blackness seeped into my senses blocking out all sight, sound and smells. This emptiness filled my soul like water, making me feel like I was drowning. My breath left my breast, I was unable to call out or scream. I was being pulled deeper into the abyss. I was losing myself to this sensation of nothingness. I had nothing left to live for... my family, my friends, my world was lost to this blackness as well. I had to accept my fate and know now I was unable to change it. I accepted my helplessness, I accepted death._

My name awoke me from my restless sleep. A cool washcloth was placed on my forehead, it felt good against my warm skin. I began to remember what happened before, the CDC, Dr. Jenner...the explosion. I must have collapsed after shielding Andrea. With a couple of forced blinks I began to make out where I was, the back of the mobile home where Lori first bandaged me up, now I was laying on the makeshift bed covered by a thin blanket. The bumpy road we were travelling on would make it difficult to sleep, but it seemed I had no problems with sleeping. Carol was sitting beside me on a chair, watching over me, her daughter Sophia was sitting at my feet. Carol noticed I was awake and smiled gently at me, all the hate and malice she had for me back at the CDC was gone. Her cool hand touched my cheek,

"How are you feeling?" she asked me. I shrugged not really knowing myself. I could feel the burn marks on my back. I eased myself into a sitting position, the charred skin flaked off onto the bed, the new skin underneath was already starting to come through. Carol didn't seem bothered by this, which surprised me. she placed another cool compress on my back which brought some relief, the burning sensation was still there but at least she was trying.

"thank you" I muttered, more so because of thirst then anything. Sophia handed me some water in a tin cup. I nodded at Sophia and sipped away at the water.

"No, thank you" Carol bowed her head. I raised my eyebrow and looked at her to question her motives, I didn't do anything spectacular or special enough to deserve a thank you.

"You saved our lives" Carol explained placing her hand on mine, "we owe you more than we can give" I shook my head. They didn't need to thank me, I was only doing what anyone else would have done in that situation. Although, I was nearly gone out the front door, if Jenner didn't stop me at the lobby I wouldn't have returned and they all would have been caught in the explosion. I couldn't help but notice Andrea was sitting up in the passenger side seat beside Dale as they watched the endless road in front of them. So she did decide to come with us even after I shielded her. I honestly didn't think she would come back with us and find another way to kill herself. The silence that was now lingering in the mobile home was deafening. No one was speaking as I sipped my water. I could feel the home slowing down as Dale began to come to a stop. Carol looked at me and Sophia and stood from her chair and went to see what was happening. Sophia handed me some clothing and pointed to the door beside her,

"that's the bathroom, you can change if you want to" she then went to join her mom. I looked down at the clothing; it was nothing special, a pair of black pants and a shirt. I suppose I needed to change anyways, remembering now that the dress and kimono I was wearing was disintegrated in the fire. Moving the covers back and swinging my feet to the side, I rose to my feet with care. Even with my high pain tolerance, I needed to be sure I didn't stress out my body any more than I had to, otherwise the healing process would slow and I would be of no use to anyone. Sliding the bathroom room door to the side and stepping in, I couldn't help but notice it was cramped inside, the toilet was the biggest part in the bathroom minus the mirror on the wall. I finally had a chance to take a good look at myself in the mirror. My long silver hair was burned at the ends, and has been shortened severely. I could see that someone had cut back what they could, but I could still see the burns. It was no problem though, hair grows back. My grey eyes and my tired face is what stood out to me the most. It's been 5 years since I started my journey for revenge, and the toll has been extensive. My young youthful features have given way to frown lines and a creased forehead. If only my mate has seen me like this... he would have laughed, saying that I deserved this for working too hard. A smile crept onto my lips as I remembered my dream, it seemed so strange that I can remember him so vividly yet I am unable to recall the face of my mother, whose death was the catalyst for me leaving my village to find more work, so I could bring the money back to my village. All I can remember is her eyes, the warmest blue eyes that I've ever seen. They showed nothing but love for me and my father. I wish now I could remember all of her. I resembled my father to a T, and often the villagers would poke fun at me for being his double, right down to his attitude. Sure my father gained wisdom over the years, he still had his temper which he rarely showed unless something or someone deserved his wrath. My son had inherited his grandfather's temper, and would always show it when he couldn't get something right. My daughter took after my mate, the way she handled herself with the utmost grace and finesse, just like Ryouken. I shook my head to stop remembering the past. Tenderly, I began to dress myself. The shirt was the only part that was hard since I needed to lift my arms over my head. I felt the mobile home shake, someone was other getting off or coming in. I strained my ears to listen, hoping to catch someone talking but all I could pick up was shuffling of feet, and stopping in front of the sliding door. Tensing my jaw I wondered if I should call out to the person on the other side of the door. It could be one of the kids playing a trick on me, my gut told me another thing but at the same point in time I didn't want to react to something I couldn't see. The door shifted as if someone's weight was placed on it, my immediate reaction was to step away from the door. The back of my leg pressed against the porcelain of the toilet, making me lose my footing for a split second. This caused the faucet to press into my burned back, unfortunately I hissed in pain as I slide onto the sink. Nothing happened. Perhaps I was hallucinating from the pain of my burns, I waited again for a minute, nothing was happening. I sighed and slide off the sink and went to open the door, unlocking the door I cursed myself for being too diligent, I needed to learn to rela...

"UHH!" a loud moan broke my concentration as a walker broke through the sliding door knocking me back into the bathroom and pressing me against the wall. Thankfully the door was the only thing keeping me from becoming its meal, but it was blocking my only chance to dispatch it. I couldn't tell where the head of the undead was, and if I decided to skewer the dead with my nails, it might end of splintering the door and the walker on top of me will fall through the door and make me dinner. I tried desperately to push it off of me, but the healing process has left me weak. I had no strength to summon and I felt myself getting weaker.

"Damnit...!" I cursed as the walker's hand slide through the rip in the door and gripped my wrist. The cold clammy feeling sent shivers down my spine. It pulled at my wrist with inhuman strength trying to get my hand to go through the rip and into its jaws of death. I felt the mobile home move again, another hungry moan joined with that of my attacker. This was causing too much noise, surely more will come and in my current state I wasn't able to take on a horde. A shadow appeared on the wall as another walker stepped into the bathroom, and added to the weight on the door. A snapping sound was heard as the sliding door began to buckle and distort under the writhing weight of the undead, I didn't have much time. I other acted now, or I will be the main course. I turned the tap on beside me and plugged the sink with the towel that hung from the hook, the water overflowed from the sink and onto the floor. The undead slipped on the water, one sliding to the floor completely, while the other lost its foothold and fell further into the door. I slide my hand through the rip and extended my nails, I felt the piercing of bone as the body fell limp against the broken door. I pried my hand free from its death grip and stepped to the side, the door and the body fell in a heap onto the toilet. The other attack clumsily rose to its feet with a vengeance, its outstretched arms grabbed my shoulders and lurched forward, jaws open. My nails extended through the skull of my attacker. It fell into me letting out a defeated hiss. I stood there for a minute, holding the corpse inches away from me trying to catch my breath. My back ached terribly as the struggle left me completely drained. I knew the others outside needed my help, but I could barely handle two walkers. The home wobbled again as the weight of another stepped in. I pulled a piece of the door off and gripped it tightly, waiting for the right time to strike.

"Mai!?" Dale's voice sounded like heaven. I sighed in content and pushed the walker off of me into the aisle. Dale gasped as I stepped out of the bathroom, using the corpse as a stepping stool. Dale grabbed a hold of me as I stumbled forward, he held my arms as I tried to steady myself.

"what happened?" he asked looking me over. I didn't care if I was covered in grime and blood of the undead. I explained what happened.

"I'm glad you're ok, a horde stumbled through. I thought you'd be safe in here until I realized I left the door open... you didn't get bit or anything did you?"

"No, no Dale I'm fine... just tired" I tried my best to calm the older man as he clearly blamed himself for what happened. I shot him a smile as he helped me outside onto the road. I noticed a road completely blocked by what these humans call cars. I could hear Shane and Rick arguing about what they should do, apparently Sophia had run off into the woods during the attack and Rick was determined to find her, while Shane wanted to continue to move not wanting another attack to happen. Dale pulled up a lawn chair and eased me into it, he wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and smiled at me. I nodded and pulled the blanket closer to me as I watched the older man join the two bickering men. Lori was consoling Carol by the edge of the forest. Daryl was walking up and down the edge, wanted to go in but he didn't want to leave the group either. Carl was standing beside his father, urging Shane to at least look for Sophia. T-Dog was bandaging up a fairly nasty gouge on his arm. I stood and walked over to him,

"Here, it's easier if someone does it for you" I took the roll of bandage and wrapped it tenderly around his arm. He nodded at me and smirked,

"You're not as bad as you look" he said.

"I'll take that as a compliment"

"I didn't mean it in a bad way" he tried to correct the way he said it, thinking I was offended. I wasn't in the least, I know I've been acting surly since meeting this group, it was because I didn't want to get attached. Too bad I was anyways, and now they were stuck with me. I smiled back trying to ease T-Dog's awkwardness as I looked off into the distance, I could see the horde that just wondered through our group weaving between the cars. The arguing for some reason didn't seem to be drawing them back, they were droning on like they were heading for something else. This was indeed peculiar but I decided not to bring this to the group's attention since they had other problems that were more pressing.

"We need to send out a search party now" Rick argued, "that way she won't be far"

"We're losing daylight, we'll find nothing now. We'll wait till morning, if we don't find traces of her then we'll move on, end of discussion" Shane countered. Carols' cries didn't seem to affect this stone hearted cop. I looked down at T-Dog before I walked towards the two ex cops,

"I'll go" I offered which seemed to send both men into silence. They both looked at each other and Rick shook his head,

"No Mai, it's too dangerous for you" he started, "with your back injury, you won't be able to fend for yourself"

"Leave the searching to the men" Shane smirked placing his hands on his hips. This caused my blood to boil, I grabbed the front of Shane's t-shirt and pressed him into the side of the mobile home. His eyes didn't show any fear like they did before, he was already dead inside, he was now simply waiting for his time.

"Leave this to the men?" I growled, "your macho headed bullshit is tiring Shane... you're a boy trying his hand at being a man... you need to sit down and shut up before I lose my temper" Shane smirked as his response, his cool calculating eyes stared back into mine,

"Whatever you say" he said lowly as I let him go. He patted his shirt and adjusted his belt buckle, "freak". The hate filled word cut through my soul like a sharp rusty knife. Losing what was left of my patience; I turned on the heels of my feet and drove my right hook into the man's face. Shane grunted in pain as he stumbled back into the mobile home, making it shake from the blow. His hand covered his nose as the blood poured over his hand, his grunts turned into hissing as the bone protruded through the skin. Rick grabbed my arm, without even thinking I pushed him away and grabbed Shane by his hair and lifted the tall man off his feet and back down again slamming into the roof the car. The windshield shattered under the force and my hand slipped around Shane's neck and squeezed. Shane gasped as he tried in vain to get my hand from his neck, his boot dug into my stomach as his fingers scratched and dug at my arm. I added more of my weight, wanting nothing more than to end this man's life. This cretin has had ample time to live.

"Stop! Stop it now!" Carol's voice screeched, I shook my head as my sensitive ears buzzed from the high pitched wail. My grip loosened on Shane's neck as he pulled away and rolled off the hood of the car onto the dusty concrete. Landing on his hands and knees, he shook his head as he coughed violently, his hand one hand finding his way up and rubbing his throat trying to get relief from the pressure, tears from his eyes dripped onto the pavement as his skin began to turn a bright red colour. His lips were tinged blue but were slowly gaining colour again. Lori dropped beside Shane and began speaking lowly to him, more like how a mother soothes a crying toddler. I gained my senses and looked at the group. Carol's body shuddered as she continued to cry, T-Dog standing beside her comforting her. Rick stepped forward and grabbed my arm, pulling me away from Shane and Lori, and taking me behind the mobile home,

"What the hell was that?" he asked, more like hissed at me.

"I...he didn't need to say that" I answered. Yes I knew I was different from the group, but I also wanted respect, and I guess decking the second in command and breaking his nose wasn't exactly earning the points I needed from the group. Rick pushed some of his thinning brown hair out from his eyes and sighed, sweat poured down his temples and neck. The hot sun was taking its toll on everyone, tensions were running high and there was a missing girl that needed to be found. Bickering between all of us will not solve a thing and will bring unwanted guests to break up our fighting.

"I'm sorry" I offered. Rick sighed and simply nodded. An apology will not fix Shane's broken nose, but it's a start. If it was up to me, I'd do it again.

"Sophia is our priority right now" Rick said walking back around the mobile home. I followed and felt the sting from my burns. Punching Shane had torn the healing skin on my right shoulder blade, and I could feel the blood soaking my shirt. I sat down in the lawn chair from before and didn't inform anyone of the bleeding. Rick began to break up the group into teams, the women would stay back with Shane in case Sophia made her way back. The others will go into the woods and look. I shook my head, from my experience, looking for a small girl in a forest full of wild animals, in this case it would be the undead, is nothing more than a fool's quest. Sure I didn't wish death upon any child, but remaining optimistic in this situation is not only delusional but dangerous. Keeping the faith alive might cost Rick some or even all of his search party. As the party walked off the road into the woods, I noticed Lori was tending to Shane in a way that seemed, inappropriate. She was making sure he was seeing more of her than she was of him. it was a broken nose, not a broken bone and there was no reason Shane needed to take his shirt off and Lori needed to pressing her breasts against him. I shrugged and looked towards the direction I saw the horde stumbling off towards earlier. It was weird how they just seemed to keep walking despite all the noise we were making. I would have followed them, but the stinging sensation in my back was the deciding factor to keep me near the group. I was still in no shape to fight, and judging by the way my skin tore so easily when I punched Shane, tells me that it will take at least 2 days to fully heal. I continued to watch Shane and Lori flirt with each other... this was going to be a long 2 days.

Night had fallen by the time the search party returned to the highway. All of them looked utterly defeated, with no signs of Sophia. Carol's cries began again when she did not see her daughter with the men. I had been woken up by Carol's crying. Carl had convinced me that I was no good to anyone if I didn't heal up, and sleep was the best way to do it. He got me to lay down in the mobile home while the others kept watch outside. Standing from my bed and guiding my hand along the wall of the home to the front, I opened the door and stepped outside. For some odd reason, I notice Daryl was more upset in not finding the girl than anyone else in the party. Rick went to speak to Lori and Carl, as Andrea and T-Dog walked past me with Carol and disappeared into the mobile home. I could feel the fool inside me rising. The more I thought about Sophia lost in the wilderness, the more I wanted to find her, or whatever was left of her, and bring her back to her mother. Unfortunately for humans, they're eyesight in the dark was next to nil. Even those who prided themselves in their perfect eyes, could not see 3 feet in front of them when the moon was hidden behind the clouds. I grabbed my sword from beside the lawn chair I was sitting in before and began to make my way towards the woods. Daryl was standing next to the forest edge, his crossbow hanging over his shoulder.

"you goin?" he asked, not looking at me but he seemed to know my plan. I nodded and clenched my sword. I began to walk towards the woods, the crunching of dead leaves under my bare feet. The smell of the wild hit my nostrils with its full force. I stood there for a minute and closed my eyes, inhaling the scent to its fullest. The smallest scent of Sophia was picked up on the wind, coming from the northeast of the forest. I opened my eyes and took to the branches of the trees. It would be easier to travel from branch to branch than by foot, since the undead were unable to climb. As I hopped through the trees, I couldn't help but feel the same sense of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach, the same feeling I got when I was sent to that village on the day my world fell into ruins. Was I leading myself into a trap again, or was I afraid of what I might see at the end of the journey? I tried to shake it off since a distracted mind could get you killed. The scent of Sophia was getting stronger as I approached the ravine that trickled through the forest. The seasons have begun to change here in this world, the leaves have begun to change to their fall colours, the rivers have began to reduce the flow of water in preparation of the winter months and freezing. With the less water, it makes for a messy situation of the banks, the mud has become extra sticky to provide cover for those reptiles and amphibians who are need moist climates to hibernate. I could hear the unsteady feet of the undead stumble around in the muck of the river bank. Sophia's scent ends here, other she has fell to her attackers, or the river has washed away any trace of her. I surveyed the area below me. Three walkers were below me. They all bumbled their way around the muddy edge as if they were trying to locate something. I could take them out quietly to avoid any more unnecessary attention, but if I miscounted the amount of undead down below, I might end up losing more than just my footing. I sighed through my nose and began to think to myself, the scent of the girl ends here and yet I see no sign of her. This whole situation didn't feel right. That pang of uncertainty washed over me again; surely I knew the outcome of this journey but I didn't want it to end like this. The skittering of a night animal drew the attention of the walker, they all turned in sync towards the sound and began to move away from the bank. Waiting for a few minutes, I jumped down, landing without a sound. I moved towards the river bed, the smell of blood was now seeping into my nostrils.

"Sophia?" I called lowly as I waded into the shallow water. Nothing but the sound of nature was my answer. I heard a splash behind me and turned, drawing my sword and pointing it at the source, a bullfrog had jumped from the water into the grass, it stared at me with large glowing eyes. I stared back for a moment, almost hating the fact that this amphibian almost lost its life to my sword, and he didn't even seem to care. I scoffed and sheathed my sword when I notice a small outcrop of heavy vegetation near a bend in the river. The smell of blood was coming from there. I didn't have much choice not to look, so I waded as softly as I could through the water. Keeping my ears trained to the wind for any sound of the undead coming towards me. it seems they were still off looking for the night time bandit. I knelt down slightly, peering into the darkness I waited for an instant for my eyes to adjust. I could see a body slumped against the back of the makeshift cave, I heard a whimper echo from the cave.

"Sophia?" I asked. The body seemed to shake when they heard the voice. The smell of blood was getting stronger, the body slowly stood from its resting place. The whimper grew louder as the water began to shift under the changing positions. My hand rested on my sword's handle, I was dreading to see what was about to unfold. The body walked towards the opening of the cove, I could see the blood glistening in the moon's reflection on the water's rippling surface. I stepped back allowing the figure to fully come into light.

"Mommy?" the young girl shuddered, stumbling towards me. Gasping my arms shot forward grabbing the girl as she tripped into me. I could see her arm covered in blood. She began to cry as I held her close to my body, I tried my best to soothe her since the sound would attract our undead foes back to the river. Picking the girl up I made my way back to the solid ground. The crying was attracting the undead, I could hear them coming towards our location as they moved with a purpose through the dark forest. I looked down at Sophia who was still sobbing, if I made my way back to the group, the forest walkers will follow and kill the group. Shaking my head and seeing no other choice, I hopped to the highest branch of the tree beside me as the first walker emerged from the darkened trees and walked right into the trunk of the tree. It looked up at me and groaned as it began in vain trying to climb the tree. I knew he would attract others, but I was safe up here. In the morning I would make my way back, but for now I began to assess the nature of Sophia's wound. I sighed in relief as what I thought was a bite mark, was simply a broken bone. Her arm must have broken when she was fleeing the walkers. It looked fresh, meaning she must have fallen sometime during the night while fleeing. If I had gotten here later, Sophia would have probably befallen a worse fate. More walkers surrounded the tree trunk, they're collective moans carried on the night winds. Sophia's cries turned into tired whimpers, I had no antiseptics to treat this wound right now, and I was now beginning to rethink my plan. She needed help or else infection would set in. Sitting in a murky river was not doing wonders for her broken arm and bleeding wound. Although, if I left the tree now, I would lead the undead back towards the group, but Sophia needed attention now. My burn began to sting again, I forgot about the condition of my back. I could have easily dispatched these freaks but I was dealing with only half of my strength and I had an injured little girl. I was running out of options as Sophia began to drift off from the shock of her wound. I stood, cradling the girl in my arms the best I could. I hopped to the next branch, as I figured the walkers followed my movement, but I knew they were attracted more to sound than anything. I'll lose them and began my way back to the group. I kept hopping from branch to branch, trying to keep Sophia and her arm steady so I wouldn't make her hurt. With my hopping, it kept her awake, which was something I didn't expect but was glad for. I didn't have to use my voice to keep her awake, which in turn wouldn't attract more of my undead assailants. Before long I realized that the sun was beginning to peek through the treetops. I cursed myself, I lost track of time. Now Rick will begin to send more of the group into the woods as a search party. Sophia mumbled incoherently as I stopped for a brief moment, I had lost the walkers a few trees back, as they stumbled into a trench. I could see the edge of the forest and a highway. I hopped down and made my way towards the mobile home, which was easily detectable among the sea of cars. Getting closer I could see no one was standing guard, or the cars had been abandoned. They all went in search of the young girl. I sighed through my nose as I turned back towards the forest. The car beside me had its hood covered with food and supplies, with the words "wait here Sophia, we will be back' painted on the windshield. Thankfully there were some medical supplies left. Laying Sophia tenderly on the hood, I surveyed the wound. It was becoming puffy and red, meaning infection was setting in. I took the cap off of the water bottle and poured the liquid onto her broken skin trying my best to rinse it out. Sophia's body cringed as the cool water washed over her hot skin. I lifted her head up slowly and let her finish the remaining amount in the bottle, she mumbled something but I didn't not pick up exactly what she said, she rolled her head to the side. Her eyes half closed in a fever like state. I opened another bottle and poured some cool water onto a cloth, I set it on her forehead hoping to at least cool her fever down then I searched for something to be a mouth guard. I needed to set the bone, but her screams will draw the undead. Having something for her to bite will hopefully help with the screams. I found a large spool of thread under a car tire, it would have to do for now. I awoke Sophia long enough to slide the spool into her mouth, I told her to bite down hard, which she attempted to do but seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness. Taking this opportunity, I snapped the bone back into place. Sophia's muffled cries were heard, but she held onto the spool with her teeth. Using two planks of wood, I managed to set the bone and splint it into place. I tied the gauze tightly around the wood planks keeping them secured into place. I found a bottle that read "aspirin" which lowered fever and dulled aches and pains. I slide two tablets into Sophia's mouth and forced her to drink again. She coughed but I managed to get her to swallow the pills. I contemplated on waiting here with the girl, I needed to find the rest of the group or else they might wonder into the trench filled with the walkers that were chasing me throughout the night. Picking Sophia up, I lay her on the makeshift bed that lay outside the mobile home in the shade, if I left I'd have to bring her as well, which would only further hinder me. but if I stayed here it will only limit my chances of seeing the group come back in one piece, since the quarry they were looking for was back. I paced back and forth near the edge of the forest, wondering what my next move will be. I looked back towards the mobile home then back at the forest. I wouldn't be gone long if I did decide to leave to look for the group, but if another horde wonders through here like it did yesterday; Sophia would be a sitting duck. I couldn't leave her on top of the mobile home, what if she wakes up disorientated and stumbles off the side, she'd kill herself. If I brought her with me, she would only slow me down but it seemed like the best option. I could at least watch over her and attend to her if something does happen. A gun shot rang out from the woods, breaking my concentration. That was the breaking point. I hurried back towards the mobile home, and grabbed a piece of cloth from the bed. I wrapped Sophia's arm in a sling and tied it close to her body, preventing it from shifting. I stuffed some supplies into a backpack and slid it over my shoulders. Picking up the sleeping girl I hurried into the forest hoping I wasn't making the wrong decision.

The gunshot continued to ring in my ears as I took to the treetops. I was petrified that the group had found the trench of walkers, so naturally I headed in that direction first. I glanced down at the pit as I went by it, seeing the walkers stumbled about with no signs of a struggle. Thank God they didn't find that death trap. I continued on looking for any signs of the group. I noticed a small clearing up ahead, with a small building nestled in the branches of the trees. Landing gracefully I surveyed the building. A wooden cross hung above the large solid door, which had been swung open. Stepping inside I could see rows of bench like seats, a man nailed to a cross hung from the ceiling by chains, he wore a crown of thorns on his head, and his face had accepted his cruel fate. The windows of the building were decorated with beings of light fighting the forces of darkness. The man, who was nailed to the cross, was depicted in a colorful window wearing now a crown of light, standing above what looked like praying people. The black lettering below the scene read the name, "Jesus, Son of God". I placed Sophia on the front bench as I stepped up the steps towards the white book that sat alone on a pedestal. I knew a little bit of their English, I glanced over the open book, my eyes skimmed the page. The words all blended together, each sentence in the book held relevance to the decorated windows. Although I didn't understand everything I was reading, I knew that the book was depicting an ancient battle where the being of light known as Angels, fought against the forces of darkness, the Demons. I remembering hearing my mate speak about Divine intervention, when the humans of this world collided with ours. Humans, who did not have knowledge of us, saw us as Gods and Goddesses and worshipped us as creatures with Holy Power. The "Angels" I could see as the Royal Legion Guards, my forces of good who battled the scourge of our world, the Demons. I know that during battles, we have brought our fights to this plain, and surely those here have probably thought we were just that, Angels and Demons. I did not know who they saw as God and Jesus, but perhaps there was something more than just us. A passage from the book stood out to me, the underlining looked hurried but the lines were thick, drawing my eyes towards it. I read it numerous times, trying to find reasoning behind it,

"Ezekiel 37:10: So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet–a vast army"

Their ancient religion spoke of this moment, this Earth shattering event that shook the very foundation of their lives. They all knew this was coming, but everyone was powerless to stop it. Shaking my head I stopped reading as I heard the creaking of floor boards. My eyes shot towards the door, I felt my tension slip away as I saw Andrea and Lori step through the doors.

"So, are you a preacher now?" Andrea asked with a smirk, holstering her gun. I shook my head stepping down from the raised podium. Lori called out to Carol, T-Dog, Dale and Glenn as they came into the building. I stood at the front of the building, I smiled at Carol and picked up a sleeping Sophia. I could see the tears welling in the older woman's eyes as I walked down the center aisle with her daughter in my arms. As I handed Sophia to her mother, Carol's knees buckled as she fell into the bench seat holding her close, her eyes overflowing with tears of joy. Lori looked at me with a suspicious look, but the others gave me nothing but gratitude.

"Where did you find her?" Dale asked patting my shoulder.

"She was hiding in a river just north of here, she took a nasty spill which broke her arm. I cleaned her up the best I could" I knelt beside Carol, "sorry I couldn't do more"

"You've... done enough... thank you... thank you so much" Carol choked out through her tears. Her cool hand was placed on my cheek and was given a quick pat. I stood, squeezing Carol's shoulder. Lori was studying me, trying to find something to say that will other ruin this moment or bring me down, as her own little piece of revenge for breaking Shane's nose. As far as I was concerned, it was an improvement on Shane's part. She kept quiet but kept her arms crossed, I scanned the group to see Carl, Rick, Shane and Daryl missing.

"They went deeper into the woods looking for Sophia, but they will come back soon" Andrea explained taking a seat beside Carol. She felt Sophia's head gingerly. I looked out the doors and decided that it was best for me to go and look for them.

"They'll be back, so stay put" Lori urged sitting down in front of Carol and Andrea, on a separate bench, "they shouldn't have to go looking for you too"

"Are you implying that I disappear regularly?" I asked adjusting my sword's belt, not making eye contact with this woman. It's not that I am afraid of her, I'm afraid of what I might say that could upset her. She has already caused the group to doubt me before, calling me a monster. Lori shifted in her seat and brushed some long brown hair from her eyes,

"Well, you did last night" she answered me, rather coyly if you asked me. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the door, I will not indulge this woman with a retort. The only reason I left was because my eyesight was better in the dark than normal humans. I located the girl when everyone else failed to do so, and last time I checked she was flirting with her "injured" boyfriend.

"We're suppose to wait here" Dale grabbed my arm gently, "so let's not split up"

"I'll be fine, Dale" with a smile I turned towards the older man, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Dale seemed to understand and released my arm.

"They went east" he said pointing towards the right of the church, "be careful"

"Close the doors and wait for our return" with that I began to walk in the direction Dale pointed, his eyes never left my back as I disappeared into the deep foliage.


	5. Chapter 5: Defender

Hours seemed to pass as my search was turning more into a wild goose chase. The forest was dense and even though I was following the scent of Rick, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure I found one little girl, but she was solitary and not moving with a purpose. Plus, it was dark when I found her, and being in the dark limited her movements. This was the middle of the day, there is no reason to stop them unless they found a legion of the undead. I couldn't help but think about that trench I left that mob in. This nagging feeling told me I should go back and finish them before they manage to find a way out. I counted 15 of them in total last time I passed over them, 11 of them had originally fallen into the trench. No doubt the sound of their moaning attracted more. How many more will join that cluster of decaying monsters? I sighed and stopped in a clearing, letting the mid afternoon sun that shone through the tree leaves heat up my shirt. My burns have started to heal now, the dark charred skin had all flaked off and the new emerging pink skin was revealed. Without thinking my wings emerged from my back, opening up to their full span, soaking in the warm sun like flower petals. The heat warmed the blood vessels in the thin membrane, which in turned warmed my body. Sighing in pleasure I folded my wings back down, allowing them to seep back into my skin. I was surprised that I didn't lose my wings during the CDC explosion.

"I was lucky" I mused lowly to myself thinking back to when I found out that Jenner was planning on letting us all die with him. I began to think about why I felt so angry with this man, and my hatred for him still hasn't dissipated. I suppose the reason was he was choosing the way we were going to die. I knew from the minute I woke up in this world, that I was planning on dying at some point. Preferably after I exacted my revenge, but now it seemed like a life time ago when I was thinking about dying. I found a new reason to live on, the group that seemed to adopt me even though I was different. The scent of an animal skimmed by my nose, inhaling I could determine that the scent I picked up was a deer. Maybe I should bring back the deer for supper. Canned beans and water was nothing something I truly enjoyed. I stayed downwind of the deer and followed the scent.

Tracking the deer to a clearing, I knelt down into the bushes, my hand resting on sword hilt, I was ready to pounce but I couldn't help but stare at the deer that grazed on some growing grass that nestled at the base of a large tree. These majestic animals never ceased to amaze me. They were so alert of their surroundings, their ears and eyes perked to the sense of danger around them. The deer shot his head towards a sound that was coming up on the left of him, it was Carl. I studied the boy, he was walking carefully towards it, arm outstretched as if he was planning on petting it. He seemed almost entranced by this buck, as if he's never seen one before. I believe he was happy to see such a prize in these desperate times. What surprised me even more is that the buck did not move from its spot, it continued to watch Carl approach him. Carl was inches from the buck, I'm sure he could feel the heat radiating off of the animal. His fingers feeling the course hair of the deer, giving him a taste of what he'll feel when he fully pets the animal. A powerful sound broke the tranquil scene as Carl fell back, as if he was pulled by an imaginary string, the deer buckled as well under its own weight. The deer and Carl both collapsed at the same time. I stood quickly from my hiding spot, this numb feeling washed over me. I couldn't speak or move, my head clouded with this dense fog as my thoughts tried in vain to reconnect and make my body move. Rick's anguished cry shattered my haze as he tore into the clearing, pressing hard against Carl's stomach as blood oozed from his fingers. A bigger man carrying a rifle hurried into the clearing, stepping over the deer. His voice was shaking, almost on the verge of crying, he knelt beside Rick as he began to apologize. Rick continued to cry not listening to the man. Shane entered the clearing, he began to yell at the new man, telling him it was all his fault. The bigger man grabbed Rick's arm and pulled him to his feet, Carl in his father's arms.

"I know a doctor, come on!" the bigger man urged as he began to run back in the direction he came from. Rick followed as fast as he could. Shane was left dumbfounded in the clearing, not knowing if he should follow or not. Before long he began to follow Rick and the other man.

"Lori..." I mumbled backing away from the clearing. Turning sharply I ran back towards the building I left the remainder of the group. Lori needed to know, she needed to be with her son and husband. The gunshot had brought unwelcomed guests stumbling out of their hiding spots in the woods. I had no time to deal with these monsters, but going around them or over them will cost me even more time. Pulled my sword from its sheath, I sliced the first walker's head clean in half. The stunned walker turned towards me as the top half of its head began to slide off, as if I cut a tomato in half and left the rest up to gravity. It collapsed like a bag of rocks, tripping another undead causing it to tumble on top of the new corpse. I dispatched the others just as quickly, the building came into view as the walker in front of me fell at my feet. Shaking the blood from my sword I approached the building, pounding at the door. The sound of panic and loading guns were heard behind the large wooden doors, stating who I was, T-Dog and Dale opened the doors letting me in. I scanned the room and found Lori sitting closest to the front of the building.

"What's wrong?" Dale asked me, clearly seeing how upset I was.

"There was an accident... Carl was hurt" I tried to catch my breath. Lori shot up for her seat and ran to the door, pushing through Dale and myself. I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the door, she pulled against me,

"Let go!" she growled, as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Enough, Rick followed another man with Carl, but I don't know where they went. Chasing after them will only get us surrounded and killed. Staying put will mean Rick knows where we are and will look here first, I know it's hard Lori but for now it's our only option" I could see the wheels in the brunette's head turning, trying to find a flaw in my logic, but there was nothing wrong with what I just said. I thought she had come to her senses and I released her arm. I was wrong, as she opened the door and bolted outside.

"Damnit..." I cursed following her. I stopped and looked at the others and shook my head, I quickly followed the distressed mother. I could hear her screaming Carl's name as she ran through the brush. The moans of the undead were echoing on the wind, more were coming. I managed to catch up to Lori as she was beginning to be surrounded by walkers. All of the undead had their arms outstretched and lurching towards the sobbing woman. Lori was too unravelled to hold the gun straight. The bullet she fired missed and splintered the wood of the tree. The walker lunged and grabbed Lori's shoulders.

"NO!" Lori cried out losing her balance. Without thinking my fist connected with the walker's head, stunning it long enough for me to rip Lori from its grasp. Lori stumbled back and fell to the ground. The walker turned its gaze at me and lunged again, this time it grabbed my shoulder. The scent of rotten fleshed washed over my senses, as the walker leaned forward with a purpose, its blacked teeth were on full display. Suddenly the walker dropped to the ground, I turned to see Glenn and Dale rushing out from the brush, guns drawn and ready for a fight. I nodded my thanks and unsheathed my sword as I looked at the others emerging from the forest. Pulling Lori to her feet I pushed her behind me, she was no good to anyone in this state and at this rate she will only hinder us further. The sound of hooves perked my ears up; the animal was heavy on its feet but was moving fast. It sounded like a horse, and it was running towards the undead ambush. Before finishing my thoughts a woman riding a large brown stallion entered the clearing, dispatching the undead that cluttered around her. She rode towards us and pulled hard on the reins stopping the massive beast, she looked us over and finally spoke,

"Who here is Lori?" Lori burst from behind me and grabbed the woman's hand,

"I am!" she was shaking as new tears began to pour down her face.

"My name's Maggie, and your husband Rick brought your boy to our farm. My dad is fixing him up, come on, I'll take you to them" she hoisted Lori up onto the horse.

"Wait, we're all a group. We need to be together" Dale piped up before Maggie rode off.

"We have an old farmhouse just down the way, you can go there if you want" Maggie said before riding off with Lori. Dale, Glenn and I all looked at each other. We didn't have much of a choice, we other let Rick and his family be alone or we follow.

"We better get back to the cars" Dale said shouldering his rifle. Glenn nodded and walked back with Dale to the old building. Sheathing my sword I began to follow, my stomach felt like it was in knots. I quickly told myself to relax, we were only going to a farm and hopefully get some good solid rest. But this feeling of dread was something I couldn't shake, why do I feel like we're nothing but lambs being lead to slaughter.

After a good 2 hours we finally made it back to the cars. I scanned the area looking for our missing group member, Daryl.

"Rick probably told him to meet us here when he was done searching" Dale said opening the door to the mobile home. Carol carried her daughter into the mobile home and Andrea followed.

"We can't just leave him behind" I said crossing my arms, "I'll stay and wait for him, you all get going"

"Mai, you don't have to" Glenn started, "I mean... he's not really... part of the group you know. His brother was an asshole and I'm sure Daryl is like Merle"

"Sorry Glenn, but right now he's out there searching for Sophia without being asked. He cares for the group, he's just rough around the edges" I countered coldly.

"Heh, almost like you eh?" Dale smirked as he said this. I shot the older man a glare as he chuckled. He got onto the mobile home and started it. Glenn and T-Dog got into the truck and followed Dale as he drove off the road around the cars. I leaned against the closest car and watched them drive off down the opposite side of the road. I could smell the corpses that were trapped in the cars. Most of them were disposed of when the group rummaged through the cars for supplies. My attention turned towards the horizon where the horde that attacked us yesterday stumbled off to. They seemed to be coordinated for some reason, and the fighting that ensued afterwards did not draw them back. My mind tried to find something to explain what I saw that day, but everything came back empty. From day one I knew that people, who were undead, would turn on anything that made a sound. From animals to people, it didn't matter. It's not like they needed to eat to survive, it was more like a plague and the need to spread a virus. Seeing that horde just stumble off without one of the hearing us squabble was troubling. Shaking my head I tried to think of something else, my vision was clouded with that vivid image of Carl being shot. That boy, didn't even see it coming. Now it was a race against time to save him now. Sand crunching tore me from my thoughts as Daryl walked up from the bank, his cross bow held tightly in his hands. I found this man difficult to read, I wasn't sure if he was happy to see me or if he was disappointed. Shouldering his crossbow he made his way towards me,

"Where the others?" He asked, he could see the supplies left for Sophia were gone off the car behind me.

"I found Sophia last night, and managed to keep her alive. Now Carl has been shot, and the others have gone to the farmhouse to see if they can help" I explained, pushing myself off the car and standing straight, "If we hurry, we can catch up" Daryl nodded with a grunt and strolled over towards his bike. He slid onto it and started it up, he tossed his helmet at me,

"Comin?" he asked pushing the kickstand up with his foot. I nodded and slide on behind him. I didn't bother with the helmet and attached it firmly to the side of the bike. Daryl started off slowly as he followed the tire marks of the group's tires in the sand. When he got to the other side of the freeway he accelerated quickly on the pavement.

"ah!" I gasped putting my arms around Daryl's stomach. The sudden kick from the bike was more than I expected. I noticed the sly smirk appear on his lips as he continued down the road. I guess I wasn't as tough as I look... Touché Daryl Dixon.

Daryl and I arrived at the farm house. It was very quaint, with a porch that wrapped around the white home. The windows still had curtains hanging in them, rather than wooden boards and nails, the gardens were all tended to with the utmost care. I noticed some people over by the fence fixing it as the cows continued to graze happily in the pasture. Everything seemed to be right here, all the way up to the older man standing on the porch with Rick, waiting to meet us. The bike slowed to a rumble as Daryl pulled alongside the mobile home. He kicked the stand down and turned it off, he pushed against me with his back wanting me to get off first. I stood from the bike as Rick walked towards me, more like stumble. He was pale, his eyes bloodshot from crying. His hands on his hips as he tried to steady himself,

"You don't look well" I noted, clearly he knew that as well but simply nodded. The older man whom Rick was talking to came up beside him,

"The boy is in critical condition, he needs regular blood transfusions from both of his parents in order for him to survive"

"I don't understand..." my forehead crinkled, I was still a soldier, and science was never my strong suit.

"We need to keep giving him blood" Rick tried to explain, but he started to sway. I grabbed his arm and pulled him close. Rick was our leader, whether he liked it or not. And seeing him like this was not good for morale. I helped Rick back towards the steps of the home, and eased him into a sitting position. Rick nodded his thanks and inhaled deeply, more of a calming method rather than trying to breathe.

"Shane and Otis...went to get supplies" Rick started. Otis must have been the man that shot Carl, I only figured this because why else would these strangers want to help us.

"Your group is welcome to stay here outside until the boy is healed" the older man said walking past me. I noticed him studying me. I must look like a fish out of water, with my shortened silver hair and steel coloured eyes. The sword on my hip probably attracted attention as well.

"I'm Mai" I said breaking the uneasiness between us. The older man chewed on his lip for a quick second, no doubt trying to pinpoint what I was. After a few moments he answered,

"I'm Herschel Greene" before walking into the house.

Night fell on the farm, the sun was buried behind the tree line but the last bit of sunlight still cast an eerie glow over the peaceful land. I stood out on the porch surveying the land like a hawk. My night sight could pick up the smallest movement in the vast fields but I couldn't see anything, not even a nocturnal animal. Sighing through my nose I didn't hear Rick come out onto the porch, he stood beside me. We both remained quiet for what seemed like forever before he spoke,

"Thank you Mai" he thanked me quietly, in a whispered voice.

"For?" I asked.

"Just... you've done so much... and we might not seem grateful, but we are" Rick was nervous when he was talking to me. I've never seen this before in him. He shifted his feet and kicked some dirt off the side of the porch.

"It's alright" I started, "I should be thanking you"

"Naw, you saved us so many times... we're in your debt" Rick sighed through his nose. I guess this was harder for him to say than I thought. Looking at the tired man I couldn't help but smirk, Rick had trusted me from the moment we met, surrounded by undead on a deserted street. His cool calming eyes never lead me to believe he would ever abandon anyone. He stood up for me when no one else wanted to.

"Rick, if this is about being thankful for being saved, I should really be thanking you" I wrapped crossed my arms as I spoke and shivered, finally feeling the cool breeze flow through me, "I was alone when my world fell to this plague, I was alone when I woke up in this world, and I intended to stay by myself until I found who I was looking for. I also wanted nothing more than a swift death so I would not to feel any more pain. Although, since meeting this group, my burden feels lighter now. This group, made me feel like I had a heart again"

"Mai..." Rick was now at a loss for words. His hands rested on the railing of the porch, and leaned forward, looking out towards the field like I was. We both didn't speak for a long time, feeling this uneasiness between us. For a moment it felt good to talk to Rick alone, with no one listening and wanting to know more. Just being heard was nice. A set of headlights from a car appeared in the distance, barreling towards the farm house at an alarming rate. Rick instantly knew it was Shane and Otis, they had returned with the supplies for Carl. He stood from his leaning position and hurried into the home to grab Herschel. I watched the dust cloud grow at the car drew closer to the home. Rick and Herschel both came out of the door and down to the steps to meet Shane and Otis. I continued to survey from the porch, my arms still crossed. Shane was the only one who stepped out of the car. Herschel didn't move for a moment, waiting for the other man to get out of the car. There was only Shane. Shane shook his head and looked away from Herschel. The older man shook his head and went back inside, I noticed his slumped posture and dragging feet. I heard Rick asked what happened, Shane was vague in his answer. Rick was getting frustrated but Herschel calling for Rick brought him inside. Shane finally noticed me standing on the porch, judging him. He looked away almost instantly and grabbed his rifle from the back seat. As he strolled over to the steps of the porch, I met him at the stairs, grabbing his shirt and pulled him away from the farm house and threw him against the side of the barn.

"The fuck!?" Shane growled pushing me away. My hand grabbed his shirt again and pushed him back into the barn. I grabbed his rifle and tossed it to the side. I looked him over, he was covered with dirt and scratches. His hair was missing clumps, and his eyes didn't meet mine.

"What happened Shane" I asked, venom was dripping from every word. I wanted to know what happened, all the details. I knew Shane would lie to me just like he lied to Rick. Shane didn't speak up, but gritted his teeth. I repeated myself, pushing him harder into the wall of the barn. He coughed as the pressure on his chest was building. He grabbed my hand and started,

"There were too many walkers, we tried... but Otis knew we wouldn't get out of there alive. He sacrificed himself..." Shane's eyes dropped to the ground. There was a long pause between us, I could feel the urge of hatred rising from the pit of my soul.

"Liar" I seethed. His story was too empty, no emotion tied to it. He didn't seem fazed by what had happened. I saw no tear stains on his cheeks, no puffiness or redness. He was soulless and this finally proved what kind of man Shane Walsh was. Shane tried to counter with something but I pressed harder on his chest cutting of what he was going to say. I didn't want to hear anymore of his lies, his tainted words destroying the kind of man Otis was. Which I wasn't entirely sure who Otis was, all I know is that he helped Carl when he didn't have to. And now he lies dead somewhere because Shane killed him. I wanted to return the favor and end Shane, right here and now, but it would only prove that I was a murderer. Letting Shane go, he coughed again and rubbed his chest. His eyes glaring at me for embarrassing him like I did.

"I know your lying Shane, but I know no one will believe me if I make accusations. So hear me now" I grabbed Shane's hair and pulled him close, so no one would overhear what I was going to say next, "If you so much as threaten this group's safety, I will end your life. We have an understanding?" Shane nodded. I sighed and pushed him away. The former cop picked up his rifle and walked off towards the house, defeated. I never did trust Shane, and now this was all the proof I needed. There was a killer among us, and it's only a matter of time before he slits the group's throat.

We held the funeral late in the morning. Everyone crowded around grave built of stones. There was no body resting under that wooden cross. His widow wept into Maggie's shoulder as the younger woman held her close. Herschel read calming passages from the tattered book in his hands, the passages were like the one I read in the building before. Rick told me that it was a bible, a token of someone's faith. I never believed in anything other than what I could see, what I could touch, anything that expected me to think outside the box was a waste of time. Herschel spoke of a God who would watch over Otis as he walked in the Valley of the Lord. If this Lord watched over Otis in the first place, he wouldn't have fallen to Shane and his lies. He would be standing here with his wife. After the funeral I walked off towards the barn, wanting to be alone. Footsteps followed me, I knew full well it was Rick. I turned to meet the man but was surprised when I saw Daryl.

"You ok?" he asked gruffly. I was wondering why he seemed to care all of a sudden, but his concern was thoughtful.

"I'm fine" I answered lowly, trying to hide my obvious discomfort with the way Herschel spoke earlier. Daryl seemed to pick up on it without trouble.

"No, yer not" Daryl was prying, but for some reason I let him, "What's up"

"This...bible stuff..." I started. Daryl nodded knowing what I was going to say before it was spoken,

"It's not for everyone. Most people want to hold onto somethin, but God hasn't done anything good for me either" Daryl shifted in his spot, "all I can count on...is me..."

"And Merle?" I asked, knowing it was stupid of me to do so. We haven't looked for his brother since leaving Atlanta, and I'm sure he's feeling the sting. I was once again surprised when Daryl didn't react. Seems he was letting go of his brother, probably with the assumption that Merle wasn't looking very hard for him either.

"I'm use to...bein alone" Daryl started as he began to walk off. He was a man full of mysteries, but I know his loyalties lie with those he chooses, and I'm glad he chose this group.

"Mai!" Rick came jogging up to me quickly. I met the man half way, grabbing his shoulder to steady him. he was still giving Carl blood and over exerting himself would cause nothing but problems. Rick huffed and caught his breath,

"We...I...We can't find Carol" he panted.

"Carol? What do you mean?" my mind was racing. Why would Carol leave the camp? She had a little girl here who needed her.

"We...need to look for her" Rick was upset, but trying his best to keep his composure. I nodded and helped Rick back to the house, just as Maggie was walking out with Herschel,

"Her little girl is gone too"

"No...Sophia" Rick was falling apart, his hands began to tremble. I wasn't sure if it was from the blood loss or the news, but I moved him into a sitting position as we reached the front porch of the house. Rick's face went into his hands, trying his best to regain himself. With a sigh, my eyes turned towards the forest outlining the edge of the rural farm. This was so out of character for them to wonder off, without telling anyone. Daryl was walking up towards us, his crossbow over his shoulder. He was thinking what I was.

"Daryl and I will search the nearby woods..." I shot Daryl a glance and began to walk with him towards the forest line.

We decided not to split up this time but rather spread out but keep within shouting distance in case something happens. Both Daryl and I were expert hunters and trackers, but even we were turning up short. The footprints I was following lead me to a walker stuck in a bear trap. When it saw me, it started reaching for me before falling down onto its face. The bone in its ankle snapped, and the flesh gave way. The bear trap full closed as the walker began to crawl towards me. Sighing I crushed its head with a powerful stomp, not wanting to attract any more attention. I was beginning to lose hope again, we spent most of the day searching for these two women, and yet we hadn't even found a trace of them.

"Damnit" I cursed wiping my foot on the nearby tree stump. The smell of undead blood was disgusting, like rotting meat and sulphur. I turned to my right looking for Daryl, but I didn't see him either. I tuned my ears to listen for his footsteps, my mind beginning to race thinking of what could have happened to him. Did somehow I miss him getting attacked by a walker, or is there something else in the forest. With a quick shake, those unwanted thoughts left my head just as quickly as they emerged. He had probably wondered ahead of me. As I went to take a step, this loaming feeling washed over me as if falling into a river of murky and distorted energy. My breath left my chest as I struggled to stay on my feet, the world twisting and dividing in front of me like a colourless kaleidoscope.

"wh..." my words tried to form, but unfortunately my mouth and tongue refused to cooperate spewing nothing but incoherent gibberish. My mind was shutting down and my world was becoming dark. Under my own weight, my knees buckled sending my useless body toppling to the ground in a heap beside the dispatched corpse that laid at my feet only moments ago. I was vulnerable here, making me an easy meal for anyone who happened by, but my body wouldn't move. Heavy eyelids closed slowly as I made out a figure walking towards me, no features, just a darkened figure casting a shadow upon me with its long appendages hanging loosely beside its body, the long legs becoming shorter then longer with each step giving it a broken stride and un-proportioned body. The darkness enveloped me with its cold embrace, this must be what death feels like. Finishing off my last thought, I welcomed the darkness and slipped into my eternal slumber.


End file.
